Waiting For Superman
by littlee0618
Summary: AU - Rachel was living a nightmare. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she saw him bring his fist back and in moments it collided with her jaw. This was never going to end. She needed someone to save her. But she was beginning to worry it was too late for that. Rated M for mature themes and language.
1. Prologue

Well hello! Happy 2016! I trust and hope that everyone had a very safe and fun holiday season! I for one, was very very busy. Lots of family time and work, because I in fact work retail. But I'm very happy that things have slowed down, for the one reason that it's given me more time to get down to business with my new fic!

But before we get down to business, a quick word about this new fic. I'm going to warn you, that it's dark. After you read the prologue, you're going to get a pretty good idea about the story line. It's not easy to write, nor do I expect it to be easy to read. BUT, that being said, I am trying my very best to do the story I'm about to tell justice. It is a storyline that I have long toyed with, even long before Sunny Days. It has, over the past few weeks taken many different forms. The trajectory and very bare bones of this story have always remained the same despite the major renovations.

I do not pretend to even be half an expert on the subject matter this fic will take on. But, that being said, I have done research and my mother, who was an award winning journalist (and even won for coverage she did on the same topic) has been helping with the realism of the subject matter. Please remember that not on is this a fan fiction, but it is also at the very basis, an alternate universe to what we are used to for our glee folks. Much like all of my fics, while they're still Finn and Rachel, they're not as well.

I am asking you kindly to take this journey with me, though it will be hard. But if you've taken other journey's with me, you'll know that I'm a sucker for a happy ending. If you are so inclined, I'm asking you to review - but only if you're going to be constructive. I will not tolerate hate. I put a lot of work and effort into these fics, and it's very discouraging to receive disgusting mail after I've worked long and hard to make the words right.

Oh, and I should probably mention the usual garble. I don't own Finn and Rachel or anyone else that was involved with glee. They belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. I own any original characters and the plot.

All that being said, I hope you enjoy. On to the short prologue to get us started!

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _Six Years Ago..._

 _He charged for her, his eyes blackened with an emotion that she didn't recognize. She backed up until she couldn't anymore; her back hitting the wall with a clunk and her head followed shortly after. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she saw him bring his fist back and in moments it collided with her jaw. She whimpered when she felt him release her and she raised her left hand to touch the spot on her jaw. She winced at how tender it was and felt the tears pique in the corners of her eyes from the pain._

 _"You think that hurts?" he snarled as he grabbed her waist. She tensed under his grip as his thumb pressed into her hip. He kept pressing, and she was sure after only a moment that there was going to be a bruise._

 _"Fat bitch," he snapped into her ear just as the sounds of a newborn rang through the apartment. She opened her eyes wide, to find him staring back down at her with his eyes blazing. Not even the sounds of his newborn could take him away. "What are you waiting for?" he roared as he brought his hand back up to cuff her in the back of the head. "Go get her!"_

 _She trembled as she tried to get out from under him, and when she broke away she ran for the nursery and to her child._


	2. Chapter 1

Well I hope you've made it this far. Everything will be explained.

A quick note - Ione is pronounced I-OWN. Don't worry, a certain 6'3 drummer struggles with it too! ;)

Enjoy and see disclaimer and authors note on the prologue :)

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Boxes. There were so many boxes.  
As Rachel Berry stood in the middle of her living room, all she could see were the boxes that surrounded her. She crossed her arms over her stomach and bit her lip as she took in the scene around her. Hours and hours of hard work; blood, sweat and tears had resulted in this. Mostly everything was packed up, almost everything was collected into the boxes that surrounded her and still she felt like there was so much more to do. Her teeth dug into her lip deeper for a second as she walked over to the wall where some framed photos still hung, and stared at the photo staring back at her. Three happy, smiling faces stared back at her. A different time, even if it was just last summer. The girls, her girls, both have ice cream rings around their mouths and they're both so happy. For a short moment she managed a small smile at the memories that the picture conjures up, and she tried to forget for a moment that everything was changing around them. She became so lost in her own thoughts, her own memories of that day and others that she didn't hear the footsteps that were coming up behind her.

"Mommy?" The young girl tapped her on the hip to get her attention. She nearly jumped out of her skin and turned around to look at her oldest child.

"Jeez. Ione, hi," Rachel pushed her hair out of her face as she looked at her. "What's up sweetheart? Did you finish packing up your books?"

She nodded but looked down at her feet. "What's wrong?" Rachel crouched down so that she was more eye level with her eight year old.

"I don't want to move Mommy."

Rachel blew out a breath. She pushed her hair out of her face once more as she moved to sit on the carpet and looked at her intently. "I know you don't. But you know, Mommy has a new job and you and Ayla are going to go a new school..."

"But I like my school now. And I like our house," Ione whispered quietly. She picked at her finger nails, chipping the light pink nail polish that she had just applied to her nails the night before.

"I know sweetheart, " she sighs. "But it'll be okay. I promise. And what happens when Mommy promises?"

Ione looked at her with uncertainty before letting out a sigh. "It comes true," she whispered. She blinked a few times before turning on her heel and going back to her room to finish packing up what she could.

Rachel watched her walk away, and couldn't help but sigh herself. She clasped her hands in her lap as she watched Ione retreat into her bedroom and close the door.

She knew the next few days were going to be hard. Ione, for one, hated change. She had been so little when they made the move to this apartment that she didn't remember living anywhere else. The look of devastation on the child's face when she had announced the move only two weeks ago was something that would forever be ingrained in her mind.

She had been shocked herself, when Brody had come in and announced he'd lost his job. His job as a stock broker was what had originally brought them to New York from Los Angeles at first, and had held a lot of promise. Or so that's how he had sold it. She had been wide-eyed and pregnant, already a mother of one that had believed him, in him and in them. So much for that.

And even so, he had never fully told her the full story of why he was now jobless. He had crowed often that he was the best at what he did, that everyone loved him and that he was so successful. And then one day, it was all gone. It was all gone and he was around all the time and she knew, if he wasn't working - there was no way they were keeping their apartment. Brody had rich taste, always had and probably always would. She knew they would have to downsize, and quick. Especially since his motivation to go out and find another job seemed to be lacking within the first week.

She had given herself a personal deadline of the first day of school to get her family settled in a new, more affordable apartment. And in that time, she'd also secured a job for herself and enrolled the girls in school. Luck was on her side, it seemed.

But it didn't mean it was all going to be easy.

She reached forward to take the picture off the wall, before walking it to the box filled with bubble wrap. She continued to take the photos off the wall, a mix of baby pictures, random candids like the ice cream adventure, and school photos. It was a collage of her best memories, and they were meant most to outweigh all of the bad. She worked quickly and with purpose, striping the walls of the personal mementos. When she was finished, she taped the box closed once and for all and looked around to survey her handy work. She brought her hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes before heading into the kitchen to put together some lunch for her and the girls.

* * *

The truck came early the next morning, just as she had scheduled. Brody had stumbled in some time during the night, once all the work getting their apartment ready for the move was finished. Her and the girls had fallen asleep in Ione's old room, blankets and pillows strewn about. Brody hadn't joined them. Now as she stood in the middle of the empty apartment, the last box long carried out by the moving men she had hired, she couldn't help but feel her hands start to tremble. She had tried to be strong the last few days, tried to hold it together as she had packed up the spacious apartment she had come to love but the truth was she was the furthest thing from strong. Every nook and cranny of this apartment held memories for her. The living room, where she stood, was where Ayla took her first steps. Or the kitchen, where Ione had lost her first tooth.

"Are you coming or what?" she flinched when she heard Brody's voice behind her. She clasped her hands together and turned around to find him standing in the doorway, black t-shirt stretched across his chest, dark aviator sunglasses on his face. "The movers want to fucking leave."

She could only nod, before grabbing for her bag and slinging it across her shoulders. "Where are the girls?"

"Downstairs. Let's move," he snapped.

She moved a little faster as her heart rate sped up, thinking of the girls downstairs by themselves. Because he was rushing her, she didn't have the time to be nostalgic about closing the door behind her. Brody grabbed the handle before she could, and slammed the door closed to the apartment that has been theirs for over six years. She bit her lip as she followed him down the hall to the elevator. Once they were down she headed over to the girls immediately. Ione grabbed for her hand in an instant, clinging to her. Rachel looked down at her to find her lip trembling, and her eyes were starting to water.

"Remember what I said," Rachel whispered into her eat. "It's going to be fine."

* * *

By the time they arrived at the new apartment, the grip Ione held on her hand had caused her fingers to go numb. Rachel could feel the anxiety radiating off of her, while Ayla bounced in the seat beside her. Ayla was her adventure girl. At six years old she was always up for anything, always ready to try something new with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She had faced the news of the quick move with her usual excitement, especially when it was announced she would get to start at a new school and share a room with Ione. Ione had been less than thrilled on both accounts.

Once they parked the car Brody had mysteriously acquired for the day, Rachel tried to appear excited as they stood outside their new apartment building. It wasn't much; the building was four levels high and only three or four apartments deep per floor. It was older, boasting a red brick exterior. When Rachel had toured what would be their apartment, she saw a lot of potential in the small, two bedroom apartment.

She heard the scoff as it came out of Brody's mouth, and she clutched Ione's hand tighter in her own as they all stood out front of the building.

"Which apartment is it?" One of the mover's asked. She snapped to attention and turned to look at the crew of three men standing behind her.

"Oh. Um, it's 3D," she answered softly. She let go of Ione's hand for a moment to dig into the bag for her keys. "I'll show you the way."

Ione clasped her hand again, and as she walked towards the door to the small building Ayla skipped over and grabbed for her belt loop.

"What colour is my room Mommy?" she asked as they entered the small building and headed for the staircase. She heard another mumble come from Brody's mouth from behind her, something about the lack of elevator but she was trying desperately to ignore the remarks. With what was left in their savings account (which wasn't much), the moving expenses and the apartment in front of them was all she could possibly afford. She took a deep breath as they got to the third level and she headed to the brown door that was labelled with a gold plated 3D.

"Did you paint my room Mommy?" Ayla asked again as she tugged on the loop. Rachel paused from sticking the key in the door to look down at her.

"I haven't yet sweet pea, we will though," she sighed before sticking the key in the lock and turning it.

The landlord had promised that the apartment would be fully cleaned by professional cleaners before they arrived. So when she opened the door she wasn't surprised to find the entire apartment smelling of cleaners and bleach. She immediately walked across the small living room and opened the window to let some fresh air into the space.

"Mommy, it stinks in here," Ione mumbled.

"I know, I know," Rachel sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. "But it's clean. Which is good. We'll open some windows and it'll be good as new." She looked across the room and could immediately sense Brody's displeasure at their surroundings. She turned her attention immediately back to the girls as the movers turned around to go and begin to unload the truck. Brody didn't move a muscle to go and help them.

"Want to check out your bedroom?" she smiled as she glanced between both girls. Ayla nodded her head excitedly before clapping her hands, while Ione remained quiet and wrapped her arms around herself.

The apartment itself was small, just like the entire building appeared to be from the outside. It only took her about half a dozen or so steps to cross from where they were standing in the living room to the door of the girls bedroom. There's a small hallway that leads to the two bedrooms, if it can even be called that.

"Here it is," she smiled. She opened the door to the bedroom and they were met with the same overwhelming smell. Ione immediately covered her nose and turned to look at Rachel. Before she could say anything she walked across the small room and opened the window just like she had in the living room.

"It'll go away soon," she assured. She placed her hand on Ayla's head as she looked at Ione. "Maybe Daddy brought in the box with the air fresheners and things. We can set one up by the window and make it smell nice," she smiled. "But what do you think?"

"Can we paint the room pink?" Ayla asked as she stretched her arms above her head. "Pink is my favourite colour ever." Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little bit before she pressed a kiss to her messy hair. Her eyes met Ione's and she knew instantly it wouldn't be okay with her if they painted the room pink. Ione hated pink, always had and probably always would.

"We'll have to see. Maybe you and Ione can pick a colour that you both like. But right now, we have to help get things off the truck. Do you think you guys can help with that?"

"I can Mommy!" Ayla squealed. "I'm big and strong with lots of muscles!" she giggled as she flexed her arms.

"Oh you can, can you?" Rachel laughed as she bent over to tickle the little girl. "Let's see you put those muscles to work!" Ayla giggled as she ran out of the room, squealing the entire way to get away from Rachel's fingers.

"Come on Momma!" she giggled. Rachel couldn't help but laugh. Only the laugh died on her lips when she turned around with her arm outstretched to Ione, and saw the despondent look on her face.

"Come on Ione, let's go find your stuff," Rachel tried to coax. The young girl sighed as she reached her hand out to Rachel and took it, before she curled herself into Rachel's side as they followed Ayla out to the moving truck.

* * *

She was so glad it was over. But it wasn't really over because the hard work of finding everything a home, assembling all of their furniture that required it still lay ahead of them. But as Rachel sat crossed legged on the floor of the living room digging into the Chinese food she had ordered from a place down the street she had found on her phone, she couldn't help but let a small sigh of relief pass her lips. The hard part was finally over, the packing up, the leaving everything behind was finished with. Their new adventure was starting and she tried to will herself to remain positive, to keep the glass half full if even for a moment. But those thoughts were quickly kyboshed when she heard a few choice, yet quiet, words falling from Brody's mouth. The food they were eating wasn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination, in her opinion it's pretty hard to mess up chicken chow mien and chop suey. But as the words of disgust continued to fall from his lips, so often that even Ayla has given him a look as she chows down on her own dish of chicken fried rice and chicken balls, she couldn't help but feel like she has done something wrong.

"How's your chicken Ione?" Rachel asked quietly as she reached for her bottle of water. She took a swig of the drink before looking at her once more.

Ione shrugged in response, before stabbing some of the vegetables on her plate. "It's fine."

Rachel didn't miss the smirk that crept up on Brody's face as she looked back at her own food. She sighed and tried to go back to her own meal.

* * *

"What's my teachers name Mommy?" Ayla asked as she bounced in front of Rachel two nights later. The smile on her face was contagious, as Rachel attempted to clean up from dinner. She smiled as she ran the big salad bowl under the water before she turned to look down at Ayla.

"Her name is Mrs. Baker," Rachel grinned. They'd gone over this a few times today, as Rachel had called the school to find out the information that had yet to be decided when she registered them.  
Ayla squealed as she clapped her hands and danced a bit to some imaginary music. Rachel couldn't help but chuckle. She reached for the dish cloth to wipe the now clean bowl while keeping an eye on Ayla. "What are you doing silly girl?"

"This is my happy dance Momma," she laughed as she leapt in place. "Can I wear my green dress tomorrow? The one with the pretty white flowers?" She stopped jumping and pushed her hair out of her face.

"If it's clean, of course you can."

"It is," she grinned. "Ione hanged it for me. I think Mrs. Baker is gonna love it..."

"I'm sure she will," Rachel laughed. Ayla jumped once more before running off to the living room when Brody called her name.

Rachel turned back to the sink to finish off the dishes. She started to hum to herself as a quiet descended the apartment. But the silence was short lived when she heard Brody raise his voice and her hands froze under the water.

"Pick up your toys Ayla, this isn't your bedroom." She heard him yell. She tensed when she heard Ayla's small voice try to respond. She heard the words, "but Mommy said..." fall from her lips and she dropped the sponge and dried off her hands quickly.

"I don't care what your mother said," he stabbed as she walked into the room. "I'm telling you to clean up your crap and take it to your room." Rachel immediately went to Ayla's side, noting her wide eyes and her hands that were clenched in front of her.

"Brody, I said she could..." she started, trying to diffuse the situation. Rachel moved so she was on her knees between Brody and Ayla, and the small pile of My Little Pony's she had brought out to play with before dinner.

"I don't care what you said, I want that shit out of my face. I'm trying to watch the game," he growled as he pointed at the screen in front of him where one of the first games of the NFL season was playing. She bit her lip as she looked down at Ayla who had her eyes glued to the ground where her My Little Pony's were. It was obvious that Brody had knocked them or at the very least kicked them around. Ayla was very particular about her toys, and seeing them in disarray on the floor wasn't something she would do intentionally.

Rachel looked at Brody once more as he reached for the glass beside him and took a drink. She internally grimaced because she could only imagine what was inside that glass before she turned to Ayla. She reached her hand over and brushed her fingers through the little girls unruly hair for a moment and gave her a small smile.

"How about Mommy helps you pick them up, okay?" she gently suggested. "We can take them to your room and maybe..."

"Ione's in there reading Mommy," Ayla murmured as she knelt just like Rachel to pick up her toys.

"It's okay. I'll talk to her," Rachel sighed. Ione hated noise when she read. And Ayla playing with her toys would definitely be considered noise to Ione.

They cleaned up the toys and Rachel followed Ayla out of the living room and into the girls room. She smiled softly when she saw Ione laying on her bed, a book in her lap. She must have heard them coming, because once her and Ayla entered the room Ione quickly put the book down and sat up on her bed.

"I'm all done reading Ayla," Ione offered quietly. "You can play with your toys if you want."

The way Ayla's eyes lit up when the words left her mouth made Rachel release a breath she didn't know she had been holding. It wasn't that she was worried Ione wouldn't let her play in the room, it was quite the opposite actually. Ione was the quintessential big sister to Ayla, had been from the moment she had arrived even though she had been merely a toddler at the time. Their bond amazed Rachel every single day, and she was so thankful her girls had each other.

"Want to play candyland with me?" Ayla asked Ione hopefully, as her eyes fell on the box of board games in the corner. It warmed Rachel's heart when she saw Ione smile a little and nod in return.

"Sure." Ayla squealed and skipped for the box that had yet to be unpacked to grab the game. "Want to play too Mommy?" she asked when she turned around, the game in her hands. The hopeful look on both Ayla and Ione's faces made it extremely hard for Rachel to say no.

* * *

Rachel smiled as she watched Ayla bounce around the kitchen as she got breakfast ready the next morning.

"Are you going to sit and eat Ayla?" she laughed as she put the plate of pancakes on the table.

"I can't sit Mommy! I'm too excited!" Ayla giggled as she bounced on her toes as Ione dragged herself into the kitchen.

"Morning sweetheart," Rachel smiled as Ione slid into her seat at the small table. "Would you like orange juice or apple juice with your pancakes sweetheart?"

Ione was quiet as she thought about her options. "I'll have orange juice please Mommy."

Rachel could feel the anxiety radiating off of Ione as they all sat at the table eating breakfast. Ione, unlike Ayla, wasn't a fan of school. Never had been. And this year was even worse, because coupled with the move that had taken her by surprise Ione had been assigned a male teacher for the first time, Mr. Hudson. As she sipped her coffee, she watched as Ione poked at her pancakes and slowly sipped at her orange juice. Rachel could see the wheels turning in her head. It genuinely broke her heart that Ione was feeling this way, even though she hadn't verbalized it. She was a lot like her father in this way, holding in her emotions and trying to sort them out and Rachel often thought it was much too heavy a burden for an 8 year old. As she looked at Ione she felt her own features falter as she saw how despondent she looked at the thought of returning to school.

"I'm done Mommy!" Ayla squealed as she dropped her fork. She hastily grabbed for her napkin and wiped her mouth. "School time?"

Rachel laughed softly. "Go brush your teeth silly goose."

Once Ayla was gone to the bathroom, Rachel reached her hand over to Ione. She shot her head up instantly to look at her.

"School is going to be just fine," Rachel tried to assure. She found herself saying those words to Ione a lot. She hoped they brought her some assurance but when the crinkle didn't move from her forehead and her lips didn't turn into a smile, she sighed.

"You don't know that Mommy," she whispered. "I don't want to be the new kid."

Rachel sighed as she contemplated what to say next. "I've been the new kid before and it made me just as nervous. It will be just fine, sweetheart. You'll make lots of friends. You'll see."

The hesitance in her eyes did nothing to assure Rachel that the words she had spoken had gotten to her. Instead, Ione looked down at her plate again, picking at a few pieces of pancake before looking up at Rachel again.

"May I be excused?" she asked softly. Rachel could only nod as she leaned back in her chair. Ione quietly slipped out of her chair and took her plate to the sink before she walked out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom to brush her teeth without being asked. Rachel leaned her head forward into her hand on the table before getting up to rinse the dishes and get ready for her first day at work herself.

* * *

The walk to the school isn't that long, and Ayla skipped the entire way. Ione clung to her hand tightly, much like she had the few days before. The grip on her hand seemed to increase the closer they got to the school, with Ayla's squeals increasing as they approached the imposing building. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her bound up the stairs that led to the front door, her braided pig tails flying behind her and her bag almost dwarfing her.

She brought Ayla to her class first, mainly because Ayla could barely contain her excitement another minute. They found the room quickly, where the friendly and warm Mrs Baker greeted them at the door with a smile. Ayla immediately began to bloom in front of the teacher and took off into the classroom after a quick kiss goodbye.

It took her longer to find Ione's class, and Rachel could virtually see her anxiety rise the closer they got to the classroom with the brightly coloured letters on the door welcoming them in to third grade.

"Don't be nervous, princess," Rachel whispered as they got to the door. Ione turned her face to look up at Rachel.

"I can't help it Mommy," she sighed. Rachel tugged her to a stop and bent to her level.

"It'll be okay. You're going to have so much fun, and Mr. Hudson is going to teach you..."

Her words were cut off abruptly when the door to the classroom opened, and a tall man that appeared to be only a few years older than her stood in front of the door with a grey sweater that was pulled taut against his chest, his hands on his hips.

Ione froze immediately as she looked up at him, before she grabbed for Rachel's hand and squeezed.

Instead of backing away, the older man crouched in front of them as the classroom noise raised behind them.

"You must be Ione, I'm Mr. Hudson," the taller, older man smiled. He stumbled over her name, mispronouncing it terribly which made her shrink into Rachel immediately. Rachel sighed as she pressed a kiss to Ione's head.

"It's Ione," Rachel corrected softly with a small smile. "Like I own a lot of shoes."

The older man smiled gently before crouching to be her height. "I'll try and remember that. But you'll have to help me cause I can be really bad with names sometimes," he admitted.  
Ione slowly nodded as he stood up.

She clung to Rachel for a few more minutes before Rachel finally managed to coax her to going into the classroom. She gave her one more hug before letting her go, not without watching her slowly make her way into the brightly decorated classroom.

"She'll be alright," Mr. Hudson smiled, bringing Rachel out of her thoughts. "They all come around by the end of the day. We'll see you at pick up Mrs..."

"Rachel," she answered quietly. "Just call me Rachel."

Mr. Hudson smiled once more. "Well alright, Rachel. I'll see you at dismissal." With that, Mr. Hudson turned around to walk back into the classroom.

* * *

"...And then Mrs. Baker said she really liked my braids and she liked my dress..." Ayla chattered as she tried to stab the meatball on her plate with her fork. She giggled when it rolled away from her, but not off the plate.

Rachel gently reached over and helped her successfully get the meatball onto her fork. "I bet she did. It sounds like you had a great first day, Ayla."

She nodded enthusiastically as she brought the meatball up to her mouth. She giggled when the meatball dropped from her fork. Rachel chuckled before turning to look over at Ione. "How about you sweetheart?"

She quietly shrugged as she twisted some pasta on her fork. She brought the fork to her lips and took the bite, staying quiet.

"Cat got your tongue?" Brody chuckled as he took the last swig of his glass of iced tea.

"Brody, do you want more iced tea?" Rachel pushed her chair back from the table and reached for his glass. "More pasta?"

He grunted in response, slamming his glass down on the table. "Would you fuck off Rachel? I want to hear about Ione's day with Mr. Hudson," he barked. Ione swallowed her bite as Rachel returned to her seat.

"It was okay," she answered.

Rachel offered her a smile. "Did you meet some new friends in your class sweetheart?" she pasted a smile on her lips as she picked up her own fork and went back to her pasta. Ione shrugged.

"I met friends Mommy!" Ayla spoke up. She danced a bit in her seat, tapping her foot against her chair. "There's Olivia and Ethan and Joey and Daniela and...and I forget the other names," she giggled. "I made lots of friends!" her foot continued to bounce off the chair as she went back to her pasta.

Rachel took a sip of her water as she eyed Ione. She had quietly gone back to her pasta.

"Ayla, knock it off," Brody snapped as he pushed his chair back and stood up to get another drink. "Enough with the racket and Rachel, I thought you were going to get me another drink?"

Everyone froze at the table, Ione even flinching as Brody's chair scraped against the floor. He turned on his heel and walked over to the kitchen, swinging the door to the fridge open and reaching in for the iced tea.

Rachel sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, before pasting another smile on her lips before turning to Ayla.  
"That's wonderful Ayla. I'm glad you made so many friends today. And Ione," she paused to turn to look at her just as Brody came back into the room and sat noisily down in his seat. "I'm sure you'll make some friends tomorrow." Ione, for her part, looked down at her plate with a slight nod.

* * *

Rachel tiptoed into the living room long after the girls were tucked into bed. She sighed when she saw that Brody was sitting on the couch flipping through his phone, the TV on quietly in the background. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a chance, walking over towards the arm chair and sitting down. She curled her legs under herself before reaching for her book on the end table. She breathed a sigh of contentment as she leaned back in the chair before relaxing and getting into her book. She only looked up and tensed when she heard Brody move a little on the couch. When he didn't say anything, she sunk into her chair once more and lost herself in the book and the quiet of the evening.

* * *

And we're off...


	3. Chapter 2

Well hello! Thanks for making it this far with me. Your response to the prologue and the first chapter for the most part was amazing and I am so incredibly thankful that you're still here! I know this story is hard to read, but if you'll just bear with me, it will end favourably.

As always, I don't own Finn, Rachel or Brody. I do own Ione and Ayla and the plot.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Watch me Mommy, watch me!" Ayla giggled from where she was positioned on the swing. She pumped her legs back and forth before squealing once more. "Look Mommy, look!"

Rachel looked up from the book she had brought along to the park with her and smiled as she watched Ayla pump her legs quicker in an attempt to propel herself higher on the swing at a faster pace.

"Way to go sweetheart," Rachel called with a small smile. She held her hand over her face so she could see better, framing her eyes away from the late autumn sun. "Hold on tight!" she added as an afterthought before dropping her hand and going back to her book. Ayla continued to giggle from the swing as she continued to play. Rachel turned her attention back to the book she was reading, desperately trying to soak in the quiet and peacefulness that being outside brought her.

She smiled when she heard Ayla call Ione's name over her squeals. Rachel turned her attention back to her daughters as she watched Ione dutifully stand up from where she was sitting on the landing of the structure to walk over to the swing set. She watched them interact for a minute, Ayla's giggles and encouragement were all Ione needed to get on the swing beside her. She watched as Ione started to pump her legs beside her, albeit a lot slower than Ayla was. She watched her two girls together and felt a slight warmth spread through her.

Rachel had thought the park would be a good idea. After a long first week of school and back to routine, she had been looking forward to spending a quiet weekend with the girls. But from the moment she opened her eyes, the mood in the apartment was indicative of anything but the peaceful weekend she had wished for. Brody was in a mood and had been stalking around the apartment mumbling obscenities that she didn't dare repeat. She had tried to brighten the mood by making a special breakfast for everyone and he turned her down, grabbing the cup of coffee she had made of herself and claiming the couch with a grunt. Things had been on edge for a few days, the air in the apartment had grown thicker as the clock moved along. She would be lying if she said she wasn't used to this, couldn't see or feel the signs of an oncoming explosion. She did her best every day to keep things smooth, and when moments like the ones this morning occurred, she felt like she was dodging minefields across the floor.

So days like today, she got out. She always tried to pack up the girls and leave. It was easier before, when they were younger, because the packing up literally meant - packing them up. Now that they were older, they had opinions and questions - some of which caused Brody's unhappiness to rise. Ayla was guilty of it the most, wanting to always know the whens and wheres and hows. Ione, for her part, stayed quiet. It was her role. She was the observer, the thinker. Always had been from the moment she had been born. She took after her father a lot in that regard, not that Rachel would ever tell her that.

She turned back to her book in that moment, choosing not to dwell on what could be waiting for her at home. She tried to enjoy these moments, the quiet moments that came few and far between. But the sharp drop that signaled Ayla jumping from her swing, something she had asked her a million times not to do, caught her attention and took her away from her book once more. She looked up in time to find Ayla starring at her with a grin on her face while Ione stood beside her with her hands on her hips. She closed the book and tossed it beside her on the bench before getting up and jogging over to the girls as Ayla began to giggle wildly and turned around to run away from her. She may have even spotted a smile cracking over Ione's features as she joined in to chase Ayla as well.

* * *

Monday morning arrived, and Rachel slowly opened her eyes. She took a few deep breaths as she blinked with her eyes pointed towards the ceiling. She tried to take in the silence that enveloped the apartment, silence that was interspersed by Brody's deep snoring beside her. He twitched in his sleep and she tried to maintain her even breathing, slowing working herself up to get out of bed. He hadn't been home when she went to bed last night, and for a moment she wondered when he had gotten in, where he had been, the usual questions that haunted her mind. She blinked up at the ceiling once more before she rolled over onto her side and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

She rubbed at her eyes as she padded out into the hallway, peaking her head in on the girls for a brief moment before heading to the bathroom to run the shower. She smiled for a second as she looked in on both of them, Ione with her hands curled under chin and Ayla with her duvet all tangled and her hair a mess. She closed the door behind her more before she crossed over to the bathroom to start getting ready for work. When she started the water the old pipes in the building roared to life and she sighed as it came beating out. The hot water droplets were a welcome prick on her skin, and she tried to allow it to relax her.

When she was finished she wrapped her robe around her body before heading back to her bedroom. She shuffled along the carpet to where she had laid her burgundy work uniform. The clothes hangers that held the long dress and her newly cleaned black apron clanged together accidentally.

"Can't you do anything fucking quietly?"

She cringed when she heard his gravelly voice, her movements frozen as the effects of his voice washed over her. She heard him shuffling on the sheets, angrily pulling at the comforter.

"Some of us are trying to fucking sleep here," he snapped once more.  
She flinched when his voice hit her ears before she took a deep breath, grabbed for her uniform and turned to go for the door.  
"That's right, get the fuck out of here," he growled before he turned himself over on the mattress so his back was to the door and to her.

She breathed a sigh of instant relief when she was out in the hallway once more, closing her eyes against the door for a moment with her uniform clutched to her chest. She felt her lip tremble a she tried to calm herself after his outburst. The tension in the apartment had been escalating since Friday night, though her and the girls had had slight reprieves with park trips and Brody's disappearing act last night. But it was always a shock to her system, and not the way she wanted to start off her day and week when he yelled at her first thing. She took another deep breath before she headed back to the bathroom to get changed and her hair done quickly before she went to wake up the girls.

"It's a new day," she whispered to herself in the mirror after she had pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail. "You can do this." She let the words die on her lips as she looked in the mirror before grabbing for her mascara and quickly coating her lashes in the dark liquid.

When she was pleased with how she looked, she quickly tidied everything she had used and headed once more across the hallway to wake the girls. She started with Ayla, because she was always easier to wake. Ione was difficult to wake up, with Monday's being the worst. But she had found over time if she gave her a few more minutes while she got Ayla going with breakfast and clothes sometimes things just went a little better.

She tried to keep them quiet while she made breakfast, using hushed tones and a soft voice to talk to the girls while she made them the oatmeal they had both requested before moving on to their lunches. She froze when Ayla laughed a little too loud at a joke she had made that had flown over Ione's head. She heard the bedroom door creak open and she sucked in a breath while she waited to see where the heavy footsteps that followed would go. When the bathroom door slammed she allowed her shoulders to slump and her hand that was holding the knife for Ione's jelly sandwich fell to the well worn counter top.

"Sorry Mommy," Ayla whispered before she looked down at the oatmeal that was in front of her. Rachel turned around to find both her and Ione staring back at her.

"What are you sorry for sweetheart? Finish your oatmeal, we have to get going..." she pasted a smile on her face before turning back around to finish Ione's lunch.

She could feel both girls eyes on the back of her head as she went back to her task, just as the bathroom door opened one more time. Rachel tried to keep herself occupied with the lunches instead of paying any mind to Brody's mood. When she heard the bedroom door slam she let out an exhale before packing everything into Ione's lunch bag and hustling the girls to finish their oatmeal once and for all.

* * *

The walk to school was quiet, even Ayla taking what seemed to be an oath of silence as they walked along the sidewalk. When they reached the school, she tugged both girls to a stop at the bottom of the stairs that led into the school. Both girls stopped and turned to look at Rachel, as she carefully bent down in front of them to be more eyelevel with each of them. Both girls looked down at her, hesitation in both of their eyes as they stared back at her.

Rachel reached forward and tugged on Ayla's jacket, pulling it down so it was a little less disheveled than it had become during their walk. She did the same to Ione, whose own jacket had done the same.

"You guys have a great day, okay?" she smiled as she looked at them. She tugged on the bottom of Ione's jacket. "And I'll be here at dismissal to pick you up, sound good? Maybe we can go get some ice cream..." she paused as they both continued to look down at her. "I love you both very much. Now go learn something!" she tried to grin as she tickled both of them. Ayla was the first to let out a giggle before she leaned forward to kiss her cheek. She turned moments later and ran for the stairs. Rachel stood up right and brushed off her uniform. Ione looked down at her feet for a minute.

"Come on, you're going to be late. And you don't want to be late sweetheart," Rachel tried to entice. Ione stayed rooted in her spot, but looked up at her after a moment. "Go on, Mr. Hudson's waiting."

Ione let a sigh pass her lips before she reached out to hug Rachel around the waist. When she let go, Rachel placed a kiss on her head before she took off for the stairs in a way that was less enthusiastic as Ayla's. Rachel sighed as she watched her and waited until Ione was safely inside the doors of the school before continuing on towards the restaurant.

* * *

Rachel blew her bangs out of her eyes as she rushed back behind the counter to submit another order. She'd been doing this for just over two weeks, and she wasn't sure if she was ever going to get used to the burning in her feet. She had to remember to pick up new shoes that were more supportive than the simple flats she was wearing, one day when she had the extra money. She sighed as she took a deep breath before she looked out on the small floor, and breathed deeply when she saw one of her tables waving her over. She pasted a smile on her face as she approached the table. When all they asked for was the check she breathed a sigh of relief as she headed over to the computer to calculate their tab.

When they were gone, she took a moment to grab herself a glass of water while she waited for some of her other orders to be ready to deliver to the tables.

"Can you believe how busy it is? I can't wait for three o'clock," her co-worker, Jessica laughed. She smiled tentatively at the other woman, who in the last two weeks seemed hell-bent on becoming her friend. The red headed woman was about her age and had been working at the Stoplight for a few years. Or so she's told Rachel proudly over the last few weeks.

"Yeah, me too," Rachel sighed as she took a swig of the cold water. It felt refreshing on her throat, as she had been starting to feel parched with all the running. She felt Jessica eyeing her from the side and she put the plastic cup down on the counter in the back. "What?" She wiped her hand across her mouth before she grabbed for her chap stick in the pocket of her apron. "Do I have something on my face? No wonder my tips have sucked today..."

Jessica chuckled. "No. Just...you're quiet today. Everything alright?"

Rachel tensed for a moment before putting her chap stick back in her pocket. "Yeah. Just tired," she forced a smile onto her lips as the bell dinged alerting them both to the orders that were up. "Not used to the pace still."

"Sure. You sure you didn't get up to something hot with Mr Brady last night?" Jessica chuckled as they both walked towards the front of the kitchen to grab their orders.

She stopped in her tracks for a moment, and turned to look at Jessica once more. "It's Brody," she paused. "And romance is dead when you have kids, you'll learn that soon," Rachel whispered quietly before she took the dish she had to serve and headed towards the intended customers. She blew out another breath as she carried the plates of hamburgers and french fries to one of her tables. She took a moment to check on the rest of her tables, getting refills for drinks, collecting payment for checks before getting the rest of them their own bills.

* * *

Her afternoon continued much in the same fashion, with the steady flow of customers filling the restaurant. She kept the smile pasted on her face through it all, even though her feet were killing her and she messed up two orders, mixing up sweet potato fries with regular ones not once but twice. She had to blink back tears when the customer yelled at her, and when she looked around the room for backup she found that she was the only waitress on the floor; her manager nowhere to be seen. She sighed and tried to apologize once more as another table held their hand up in the check please motion. She tried to keep a smile pasted on her lips but as the seconds turned it became harder to do so. She finally got away, beelining it back to the kitchen to get the orders sorted, before heading back over to the ready to pay table. As she was waiting for the credit card payment to go through, her eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall. She sucked in a breath when she saw the clock on the wall read 10 after 3, and she still had two more tables to collect payment from - not to mention the last mixed up one. She turned around once the transaction was completed and tore off the receipt. Her eyes landed on her manager who had finally appeared, standing by the hostess stand with the girls who were supposed to replace her and Jessica ten minutes ago. Well, her since it looked like Jessica had taken off already. She huffed as she collected one more check before going over to the stand and asking to leave. Her eyes fell on the clock once more and she felt her anxiety rising by the moment.

When she gained her managers approval, she bolted for the back to grab her things before taking off to make it to the school. She was so late.

* * *

Ione and Ayla sat on the front steps of the school, both of them watching down the sidewalk for their mother.

"Do you think she forgot us, Ione?" Ayla asked after a few moments with a sigh. She cupped her chin in her hands before leaning her elbows on her knees. "I think she forgot us."

"She didn't forget us," Ione whispered. Her eyes darted down the sidewalk a few times before turning to look at her little sister. "She would never forget us. She's Mommy," she sighed once more. "Maybe we should go wait inside."

"But what if Mommy won't know to find us there?" Ayla asked with big eyes as Ione stood up. Ione hoisted her backpack onto her back.

"She'll know. Come on, it's warmer inside."

Ione waited for Ayla to stand up to before she led her back into the school.

* * *

Finn Hudson was just getting ready to leave the school, his bag and books in tow as he locked up his classroom. He waved to another coworker, Sam, down the hallway who looked like he was deep in conversation with someone on the phone. He stopped short when he caught sight of one of his students sitting on a bench close to the front doors of the school. He paused for a moment as realization struck, and he determined that it was Ione, the quiet girl from his class. Her name stuck out to him, because it was the one he had struggled with for quite some time. He took a deep breath before he decided to approach her and who he assumed was her sister. He approached them slowly, and smiled when he saw Ione notice him, her eyes widening as he came closer. It didn't escape him how she scooted closer to the darker haired little girl beside her when he came closer.

"Hey Ione, what's going on?" he asked softly, placing his bag and things down in front of him on the floor. Ione's eyes dropped to her feet for a moment, before she finally moved to look up at him. She blinked a few times, staring at him with the eyes that he was used to seeing back at him in the classroom.

"We're just waiting for Momma. She's supposed to pick us up," she answered quietly as she looked back down at her feet.

Finn sighed, running his fingers through his hair for a moment.

Ione looked up at him at the sound of his sigh, "But don't worry. She's only late sometimes," she added quietly.

Finn watched as Ione looked at the little girl beside her once more, as she wiggled on the hard bench.

"Well, I'll wait with you guys until she comes, is that okay?" he asked softly, taking a seat on the bench beside her. He didn't miss how she moved even closer to the little girl beside her. "And who's this beside you?" he asked, desperate to get the quiet girl to talk. His mind was reeling, wondering why they were still here after school 15 minutes after dismissal. Ione wasn't on the after school care list, and he wondered briefly if the receptionist has called anyone - or if the girls beside him even know to ask for help.

"This is my sister," she answered quietly.

"My names Ayla," the younger one piped up as a smile crept up on her cheeks. "I'm 6!" Finn felt himself chuckle at the little girl, who didn't seem to have the same reservations as her older sister. "That's this many!" she giggled as she held up six of her fingers.

The conversation seemed to die at that moment, and Finn desperately tried to think of something to ask the girls. He frowned at how closed off Ione seemed, and how Ayla seemed content to play with the strap of her backpack while she swung her legs back and forth. In that moment the front door to the school flew open and the woman he remembered as Ione's mother, Rachel, came flying down the hallway, waitress uniform on, and her breath coming out in heaving, panting mouthfuls.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Rachel gasped as she placed her hand on her chest above her heart. "Got caught up at work and it won't happen again, I swear," she managed to catch her breath and clutched her chest as Ione jumped off the bench and threw herself at her. Finn stood up from the bench and stuck his hands in his pockets. He was about to say something, when Rachel's voice cut through and beat him to it.

"Thanks for waiting with them. It won't happen again, I promise," she reiterated as she placed her hand on Ione's head. He didn't miss how Ione clung to Rachel's side and her fingers seemed to tangle in her hair; he sighed himself.

"It's not a problem, really," Finn smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He bent to pick up his bags and slung them over his shoulder. "Have a good night."

"Thank you," Rachel whispered softly before she encouraged the girls to pick up their things and they turned to head out of the school.

He watched as the three of them left, Ione clinging to Rachel and Ayla bouncing beside them as they headed out of the school and onto the street.

* * *

As they walked home, Rachel couldn't help but feel tense. She tried to enjoy the short walk, watching as Ayla jumped over the cracks in the sidewalk and sang some song they must have learned in class. Ione stuck close to her side, clinging to her waist.

"Did you have a good day?" Rachel asked softly as they came to the pathway that led up to the apartment building they called home.

Ione was quiet, and didn't answer her at first. Rachel bit her lip as she looked down at her, trying to determine what was going on and what was bugging her.

"Are you okay Ione?" she asked softly.

"You were late Momma," she whispered as they got to the door of the apartment building.

"I know sweetheart, it wasn't on purpose..." Rachel sighed, grabbing for the door in front of her to usher the girls inside.

Ione sighed loudly.

"I'll try to be on time tomorrow, okay?" Rachel tried to soothe as they started the hike up the stairs towards their apartment.

Ione sighed once more and nodded. "Okay Mommy."

Rachel gave her own sigh before following her up the stairs. The tense feeling she had as they had walked home only intensified as she watched them walk up the stairs, her stomach gnawing knowing that Ione was disappointed in her.

Things were quiet as they approached the apartment, and Rachel couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as they came to the door. She recognized that they were late, but she was still shocked when she opened the door and found Brody sitting on the couch, staring at the front door from his spot. The sense of foreboding that had been gnawing at her from the moment they had stepped on their floor seemed to grow.

He was on his feet in moments, and Rachel immediately felt her back go rigid.

"Girls, why don't you go and..." she started as she tried to ignore the imposing stature of her boyfriend only a few feet away. She heard him take a step before she looked up and had confirmation. She ushered the girls to take their things to their room and get their school bags put away. She swallowed as she looked up as they started to make their way around the room, side stepping around Brody as he continued to take steps toward her. The girls hadn't even cleared the room when he spoke up.

"Where the fuck were you?" his voice wasn't very loud, but the deep timbre spoke volumes to her and she immediately swallowed hard. "I can't hear you..." He took a step closer to her, his eyes were blazing and Rachel took a deep breath. "You're fucking late Rachel, why the fuck are you fucking late?" his voice raised in volume and she didn't feel like she could meet his eyes. She dropped her gaze to her feet and allowed her hands to fall to where her apron was still tied around her waist. "I SAID WHY WERE YOU FUCKING LATE?" he screamed. She was still staring at her feet when he lifted his hands and shoved her, his hands colliding with her shoulders so that she stumbled slightly back on her feet, but didn't fall. She heard a chuckle fall from his lips as she stumbled. "You going to answer me now, bitch? I want to know why you weren't fucking here when I got home...huh? Tell me..."

She felt a shuddered breath leave her lips and she ran her hands over her sides, trying to keep herself calm. "I worked late..." she mumbled.

"What?" he snarled. "I can't hear you..."

"I said I worked late and I was late to pick up the girls..." the explanation rushed from her lips as she looked up in time to meet the fury in his eyes.

"You worked fucking late?" he snarled with a throaty chuckle. "You were fucking late to get the girls? And now you're fucking late getting my dinner?" he took a step forward, forcing her to take a step back so that there was a bit of space between them. He chuckled harshly and continued. "You were fucking late, do you know what that means?" he reached forward and grabbed for her biceps, allowing his fingers to dig into her arm. "Do you?" He shook forcefully shook her."Are you fucking listening?"

Her lip trembled as she tried to raise her head to meet him once more. "You're supposed to have my fucking dinner ready and you were fucking late!" he screamed. His grip on her arms increased threefold as she continued to stay silent against his verbal assault. "You fucking bitch," he roared as he slammed her body against the opposing wall that he had walked her towards. Her head fell back on reflex and slammed against the wall with an incredible clunk.

He stalked off when she hit the wall and she winced when she heard him stomp away, before slamming the door to the bedroom. She tried to slowly slide down the wall to meet the floor, and winced the entire time as she did so. She clenched her eyes shut when her butt met the floor as tears piqued in the corner of her eyes. She gasped quietly as she slowly pulled her legs into her chest, wincing at the pain that radiates in her arms from where he grabbed her. She bit her lip as the tears began to cascade down her cheeks. She bit down when she heard her bedroom door swing open one more time. She tried to pull her legs closer and tried to keep her whimper to a minimum. He stalked towards her and as she ducked her head, she immediately regretted it. He grabbed her by the arms in much the same fashion as he had before and picked her up just to slam her against the wall once more. She whimpered loudly as her back hit the wall once more, which in turn caused him to smirk. She didn't anticipate the hit that came next; his elbow collided with her stomach hard enough that made her lose all her breath. The smirk widened on his lips as he dropped her back to the ground, before he turned around to stomp out of the apartment with the door slamming closed behind him.

She felt tears pique her eyes once more as the aftershock of the door slam rippled through the wall. She tried to curl into herself like she had before he hauled her off the floor and she gasped against the pain that now radiated into her stomach as well. She winced once more before she slowly tried to haul herself off the floor again. The ache in her back was intense, and she felt the tears start to cascade down her cheeks as she shuffled her feet along the floor. She reached for the door handle and locked it securely, using the chain to further protect herself. She turned on her heel slowly and started what felt like the long walk to the bathroom. Her head throbbed from where he slammed her against the wall, and her arms felt like jelly and not the good kind.

As she tried to quietly make it to the bathroom she could hear soft murmuring coming from the girls room. She stopped for a moment to try and determine what they were saying without drawing attention to herself. She didn't want them to see her like this, she hated them seeing her like this and they already have much too often in their short lives. She continued to shuffle towards the bathroom and sighed out when she was safely in the confines of the small room. But it's her reflection in the mirror that causes her to let out a sob. Her eyes are red and swollen from the tears she has already let slip. She moved her arms slowly one by one into the mirror and she cried as she ran her finger over the spots that were already starting to bruise on her skin. She moved from her arms to her stomach, and gently ran her own fingers over the tender spot where he had elbowed her. She tried to strip herself of her uniform, letting the dress drop to the floor in a puddle. She stood in the mirror in a tank top, and raised the shirt to look at the spot. She winced when her fingers touched the tender skin. She bit her lip so she didn't sob again, but everything hurt and it was so hard in moments like this to be strong. She moved to grab a pair of pajama pants that were hanging off the back of the bathroom door and she wanted to cry when the movements made every limb feel like it was on fire.

Once the pants were on, she sat down on the toilet and moved to rest her head in her hands. She lets the tears roll down her cheeks freely and her lip to tremble now that her face is covered. Even in the protective walls of the bathroom she's only concerned about the girls hearing her. She never wanted them to hear her, it broke her heart enough that this was her life - that this was their life too. She rubbed her eyes with her palms, which caused the muscles in her arms to flex and the ache to return. She gave a watery gasp at the feeling as she clenched her eyes shut. Over and over thoughts of how she had failed everyone, failed herself and her girls started to swirl much as they always did after fights and explosions like this one, her tears fell faster at each thought.

But a timid and slow knock at the bathroom door brought her back down to earth and to reality. She wiped at her eyes hastily, but she knew that they were surely red and swollen.

"Momma?" she heard through the door, and her heart ached. The voice belonged to Ione, and that thought caused her heart to ache even more. She stood up slowly from the toilet seat and went over to the door and opened it to find Ione standing there staring up at her, her green eyes wide. "You okay Momma?" she whispered quietly. Her little hands fisted at her sides as she continued to look up at her.

Rachel bit her lip as she looked down at Ione, struggling against the feeling she had to cry out. She reached her hand out and rubbed Ione's head gently. "I'm okay," she answered slowly before she paused. "How do you feel about breakfast for dinner?" Breakfast for dinner was a rare treat, and she couldn't help but slowly smile as she watched Ione light up.

"Can we make pancakes with chocolate chips?"

Rachel felt herself laughing at Ione's excitement, albeit reserved, despite the fact that every fibre of her being wanted her to cry. "Of course," she answered just as Ione dashed off to go and find Ayla.


	4. Chapter 3

**WARNING.  
**

 **If you are uncomfortable with sexual situations, and may be triggered by such between an abuser and victim please note that such occurs at the end of this chapter.**

I don't own Finn, Rachel, or Brody. I do own Ione and Ayla as well as any original characters and the plot. No stealing. Thanks. Special thanks to Lauren and my mom for all their help :). 

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Rachel woke up with a start. She immediately regretted the action as her arms screamed from the ache; the memories of yesterday afternoon and the evening that followed came back to her in screaming colour. She took a moment to take a deep breath, wincing at the tenderness she still felt in her stomach. She closed her eyes to try and align herself, letting a deep exhale escape her nose. She laid back against the pillow for a moment to regain herself before the alarm clock at the side of her bed caught her eye.

"Shit," she exclaimed as she quickly threw back the cover.

They had slept in. As she ran her fingers through her tangled and matted hair she desperately searched around the room for her uniform. She ignored the pain that was radiating in her arms as she finally found it and stripped her pajamas off quickly before she threw on the red and white uniform. She grabbed a hair tie off her side table and hurried out of the bedroom while trying to tie her hair back. Rachel skidded to a stop in front of the girls bedroom once her hair was messily tied at the back of her head. She took a calming breath before she reached for the door and took a moment to just peek in on them.

She had half a mind to say fuck it all. As she looked in on the girls, sleeping peacefully in their beds she felt like going back to her bedroom, slipping her pajamas back on and spending a lazy day at home with her girls. But the reality was, she couldn't. She couldn't afford to take a day off from work no matter how shitty the pay was, and even if she knew where he had gone - there was not a chance in hell that she would leave her girls with Brody. She bit her lip as the thoughts ran through her mind as she stared at the girls. They looked so peaceful, so innocent. Ayla was fast asleep on her pink pillow, arms thrown back over her head and her little pink lips puckered in a perfect pout. When she turned to look at Ione she felt a pain tug in her heart that wasn't unlike the pain she was feeling in her arms. Even in sleep the little girl had creases and frown lines dotting her small forehead and Rachel's heart ached. Ione was a worrier, carried the weight on her shoulders and most days it worried her; and days like today it scared her.

She shook her head at the thoughts, bringing herself back to reality. She sprang into action in that moment, crossing the bedroom in a flash. She decided in that moment to let Ione sleep for just a few extra moments. Ione was a little girl who did best on a schedule. She thrived on predictability and even though their life was often chaotic and a messy, Rachel did her best to keep it as stable as possible, whenever possible.

Ayla was easy to wake up. She stretched her arms higher above her head and woke up with a smile on her face. Ayla was her resilient one, Ayla was her fighter and her optimist. Ayla was her little guiding light.

"Wass wrong Mommy?" she slurred as she pushed her unruly hair back from her face.

"It's time for school princess, let's go - come on, we're late," she moved across the room as she spoke, throwing open the girls closet and grabbing an outfit for each of them. She rushed back over to Ayla and helped her change quickly before sending her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She dropped Ione's clothes on the abandoned bed before kneeling beside Ione's bed and approaching her a little more gently. But when Ione didn't stir at first, Rachel immediately had to exert more effort.

"Ione, sweetheart, come on," she urged.

"Mommy?" Ione whispered.

"Come on, you need to get dressed. We're going to be late," she tried to relay the information as gently as she could. But the moment the word late left her lips, Ione seemed to shoot up from bed like a bullet.

"It's so late Mommy!" she whimpered when her green eyes caught the alarm clock on the side of her bed. She jumped out of bed and started to frantically pace the bedroom floor before Rachel pointed out that she had gotten her outfit together already.

"I know, I know," Rachel rushed. "Get dressed and go brush your teeth..." She got up from the floor and headed for the bedroom door as Ayla called out that she was finished brushing her teeth. She had no choice but to leave Ione to her own devices and hysteria to go and tend to her younger daughter and find something quick for breakfast.

But she found herself pausing in the hallway as Ione's mumbling and fretting started to get the best of her as she heard her trash the room behind her apparently looking for her other sneaker. Rachel leaned her head against the wall outside in the hallway. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself as the door to the bedroom banged open and Ione flew past her, running towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.

By the time Rachel managed to get the girls hauled out the door, she was already feeling exhausted Her nerves were shot because of the way Ione was acting, her anxiety and fear about being late and scolded at school rubbing off on her. She frantically put together lunches for the girls and found breakfast bars for them to eat while Ione paced the living room floor and wrung her hands as Ayla watched. By the time they were out the door she felt all of her energy drain from her pores. Her own anxiety was surging with each step they took towards the school as memories of the night before flashed behind her eyes as her muscles ached as she tugged Ayla's hand to get her to walk faster.

Ione trailed a few steps behind her and she had to turn around a few times to make sure she hadn't just up and stopped.

"Ione, come on sweetheart," she tried to keep the irritation from her voice. "We're all already late, there's no time to just drag your toes sweetheart."

She heard Ione sigh in response and Rachel halted her feet to turn back and look at her again.

"Ione, please," she sighed as she held out her hand to her. They were half way to school, she was about ten minutes away from being late for work and they were already ten minutes late for school. A feat she wasn't sure how they had accomplished with how late they woke up.

They made it to the school and she rushed them up the stairs and into the building. She rushed Ayla to her classroom and kissed her head before making sure she made it inside and turned to take Ione.

"Will you be here to pick us up?" Ione asked as they approached her classroom. Rachel felt her tug her to a stop just in front of her door. Rachel dropped to her knees and pushed her hair behind her ear and quickly brushed a crumb away from her upper lip.

"I'll be here," she whispered before placing a quick kiss on her forehead and standing up once more. She reached for the classroom door and gestured for Ione to step in.

"I love you Ione," she sighed as the little girl trudged into the classroom. Rachel stood back for a moment as she trudged inside the classroom. She waited a beat; she wanted so badly to call her back out into the hallway to apologize for being abrupt but a quick look at her watch caused her eyes to widen and her to get going to work. She shoved her hands in the pockets of the sweater she wore and headed for the exit of the school. 

* * *

Finn stopped speaking the moment the door to the classroom opened and Ione slipped in. He dropped his clipboard that held his attendance sheet down to his side as he watched her enter the classroom with her eyes drawn to the floor as she moved quickly to the back. He couldn't help but notice the tired expression she was wearing as she hurriedly makes it to her desk. The class started to chatter while he paused to watch her come in and he could see the attention has made her sheepish. She dropped the book she had been carrying when she tried to quickly and quietly slip into her seat. When the book hit the ground the commotion that had started up in the classroom stopped as everyone turned to look at her. He immediately felt bad when he noticed the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks as she bent down to scoop up her book. He started to take a step forward to help her pick it up when he saw that she was struggling, but stopped from going further when she reached it and brought it back up to her desk.

"Okay class," he called as he brought his clipboard back up to reading level. He picked up on roll call where he left off in an attempt to get the kids under control and the attention even away from Ione. "Jackson, are you here?"

"Yes, sir," he heard.

"Very good. Kayla?" 

* * *

Rachel rushed into the diner only a few minutes behind schedule. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was still empty, and her boss, Trevor wasn't anywhere to be found. She has made it on time, thank god, with enough time to get herself a cup of coffee and maybe straighten out her hair. Her nerves were shot because of how crazy the morning had been and honestly she just wanted one moment to calm herself. She headed immediately to the back of the diner and punched in, giving Jessica a brief nod before heading back into the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. She sighed when she felt Jessica following behind her and bit her lip when she heard her place her own coffee cup down in the sink before leaning on the counter beside her. She could feel Jessica staring her down and tried to ignore it as she fixed her coffee. She didn't have time for games and Jessica's approach was making her uneasy. She was used to the other woman's quirkiness but it didn't mean she appreciated it or fed into it. She picked up her coffee and mirrored her for a moment, leaning against the counter and took a deep inhale of the beverage. They only had a few moments instead of the usual twenty that she afforded herself in the morning.

She offered Jessica a small smile when she looked up and noticed that she was still staring at her.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she offered as she took another sip. She closed her eyes for a moment as the hot liquid coursed through her and soothed her anxious thoughts, if just for a moment.

"No no," Jessica laughed as she leaned back a little further on the counter. "You're just drinking that coffee so quickly it's like your life depends on it," she chuckled.

Rachel blushed a little as she looked down at her cup. "We overslept this morning," she sighed. "And between getting the girls up, dressed and to school there really wasn't time for anything else. I'm going to need all the coffee in the world today."

She watched as a smile crept across Jessica's face as the words left her mouth and she took a moment to take another sip of her coffee. They were interrupted by Trevor moments later, who urged them to start getting ready for the day so they could open the store. Rachel sighed and took once last gulp of her coffee before placing the cup down in the sink and rinsing it out before rushing to prepare herself and help with the tables.

Rachel blew a breath as she walked from table to table, making sure each one had salt and pepper and enough sugar for the morning crowd of coffee drinkers. She turned around and almost ran directly into Jessica who had been wiping any tables that looked like they needed it.

"So you must have had a hot night then," she winked as she bent to wipe the table Rachel had just checked.

Rachel froze as her eyes dropped to the floor. She wondered if Jessica could tell just how wrong she was. She instinctively crossed her arms and rubbed her arms where Brody had grabbed last night. She bit her lip before turning on her heel and going to set up the hostess station as she saw Trevor march over to the doors to unlock them. 

* * *

By the time lunch time came around, Finn Hudson felt himself becoming a little uneasy. He has always prided himself on having good intuition, and it didn't always stop when it came to his students. He couldn't help but notice how quiet Ione had been throughout the first half of the day. The little girl who he has come to know over the past few weeks is quiet in general, but there is something about how quiet she is today that he just can't place. He watched as she pulled her lunch from her backpack and quietly walked back to her seat to sit beside another quiet little girl, Madeline and unpacked her lunch. He watched from his desk until another student broke his attention asking for help opening a fruit cup. He turned back to Ione in time to watch her pull out a book from her desk as the rest of the classroom chats around her, even Madeline.

He only had to stay in his classroom for fifteen minutes, before he can have the rest of the hour long lunch to himself. But once he leaves, closing the door behind the cacophony of noise he can't shake the look in Ione's eyes from his mind. 

* * *

He noticed them the moment he stepped out of his classroom. It was hard not to notice them, because the smaller one was wearing a bright pink sweater and seemed to be chattering up a storm. He stopped to watch them for a moment from a distance away. It was just yesterday that he noticed them sitting there for the first time, and as he stares at them now he can't help but wonder if there were days before that he had missed. He is sure they're safe, because the receptionist Mrs. Patterson is surely watching over them as they're sitting right outside the office. But he can't stop his feet from moving and walking towards them.

He sat down beside Ione quietly after placing his bag on the floor. She didn't look over him at first, instead she continued to focus on the hair tie she was playing with in her hands. He watched her stretch it a few times to the brink while Ayla continued to sit beside her and swing her legs back and forth. She clutched what looked like a drawing in her hands.

"What do you have there Ayla?" he asked in an attempt to get the two girls to open up to him.

"It's my drawing!" she answered in a squeaky voice. She held up the flimsy piece of drawing paper so he could see what she had drew. "It's a drawing for Mommy. She was sad this morning."

Ione's head shot up at Ayla's words. "Ayla," she whispered harshly.

The younger girl looked up at Ione with a questioning glance. She then turned towards Finn. "We slept in this morning," she shrugged as she placed her picture down on the bench beside her. "Mommy was sad because she didn't get to eat breakfast." she paused. "We had breakfast bars and bananas."

"What kind of breakfast bar?"Finn asked, attempting to get Ayla to keep talking to him.

"Mine was oatmeal and cranberry," Ayla smiled. "They're my favourite," she turned to Ione who had focused her eyes on the floor once more. "What kind was yours Ione?"

He watched as Ione's mouth twitched as if she was fighting against herself to answer.

"Oatmeal and raisin," she mumbled.

Finn nodded. "So it kind of tastes like a oatmeal raisin cookie then?"

Ione shrugged and dragged her eyes to the door again, something she had been doing every couple of seconds since he sat down.

"Mommy likes the oatmeal and blueberry ones," Ayla chattered. Finn turned his attention to her as her voice brought him back from watching Ione. "I think she likes them because the wrapper is blue and blue is her favourite colour."

"No it's not," Ione mumbled. "Mommy's favourite colour is yellow."

Ayla turned to look at her. "Then why did she pick blue paint when we wented to the paint store before? To paint her room?" She turned back to look at Finn. "My favourite colour is pink. Mommy is going to let me paint our bedroom pink even though Ione doesn't like it," she sighed.

"Blue is Brody's favourite colour," Ione mumbled lowly under her breath. Finn barely caught the words she had spoke as he focused on Ayla's words. "That's why they're painting their room blue," she sighed. "My favourite colour is purple."

"Purple's a good colour," Finn confirmed as he offered Ione a small smile before looking at Ayla. "And so is pink."

"What's your favourite colour Mr. Hudson?" Ayla smiled as she swung her legs back and forth.

"My favourite colour?" he asked with a chuckle. "My favourite colour is red."

Ayla seemed to giggle at his answer and pulled up her picture that she had drew once more, instantly going into a story about how she was going to colour the fish in her picture red but she couldn't find her red pencil crayon. She seemed to take off with the conversation then, divulging to Finn that her favourite movie was Sleeping Beauty while Ione's was the Sound of Music.

"What's your favourite song from the movie?" Finn asked Ione quietly as Ayla continued to basically outline the entire plot of Sleeping Beauty.

Ione turned to look at him once more, her eyes darting from the front door once more to where he was sitting.

"You know what Sound of Music is?" she asked quietly as she cocked her head to the side. He thought he saw the hint of a smile peaking out at the corners of her lips.

He gave her a soft smile and leaned his arms on his knees as he felt her continue to stare at him as Ayla turned her attention to her picture.

"Of course I know what Sound of Music is," he shrugged. "I used to watch it with my mom all the time when I was younger..."

"You don't anymore?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes. When I go home to see her..."

Ione gave him the first small smile he had ever seen her give. "My Favourite Things. My favourite song is My Favourite Things."

Finn sat back and leaned against the wall before crossing his arms over his chest. "That's a good one," he nodded. "I do prefer Do-Re-Mi sometimes."

Ione smiled softly once more. When the door to the school flung open the smile dropped from Ione's features and the same worried and concerned expression flooded her features. Gone was even the smallest smile he had just gotten to peak at.

The moment Rachel came into view, her hurried footsteps clapped against the tiles as she came closer to them. Finn stood up from the bench as Ione bolted from the bench herself before Ayla could even blink. He gave her a soft smile while he crossed his arms over his chest once more. He felt his smile falter as he watched how tightly Ione clung to Rachel's waist as Rachel ran her fingers through her messy hair. He didn't miss the way Rachel seemed to cling to her in return.

"Thank you," he heard her mumble after a beat had passed and Ayla had finally hopped off the bench. No word of an apology, nothing.

"Not a problem," he shrugged. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched them grab their stuff before turning to leave the building. He couldn't help but watch them go.

"Those poor girls," Finn heard behind him. He turned around to find Mrs. Patterson, the receptionist standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Those poor girls." She repeated, as if Finn hadn't had a chance to hear her before. He must have given her a look that said go on, because she continued. "Their mother is always late. I have half a mind to call Children's Aid or something on her." She clicked her tongue as Finn continued to watch the door they had just left out of.

"That's not really a reason to call, Maryanne," he commented as he finally turned away. "Being late twice isn't an emergency. Yet," he added under his breath.

"Two times in a row though, Mr. Hudson," Maryanne added with an arch to her eyebrow. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

He stepped away from the older woman to grab his bag and head out for the parking lot. It had started to rain since school was dismissed and he huffed as he jogged to his SUV that was parked half way down the lot. In the distance he could see Ione and her family walking down the street, the three of them huddled under one umbrella. His interest piqued, but the rain pelting down on his body forced him to jump into his own truck and head home. 

* * *

The girls wanted tacos. And after today, she hadn't really felt like making much for dinner but Ione had asked and she really couldn't say no. She stood in the kitchen chopping tomatoes while she waited for the ground beef to finish browning. She hummed a song under her breath as she continued to chop the last tomato before she slid the bits into the bowl. She finally finished with the vegetables and moved to grab the cheese from the fridge. She froze when she heard the door to the apartment open, the telltale heaviness of the steps that followed told her that Brody was back. She tensed as she stood in front of the fridge, holding on to the door of the fridge as she waited to see where he was going. She closed the door after grabbing the cheese while waiting to see where he was headed. She was always on high alert after a fight, hell she was on high alert most of the time when he was around even without a fight. She tried to preoccupy herself with searching for the cheese grater and taking the meat off the burner as she kept an ear out for Brody. She tensed as she listened to him shuffling out in the living room, and she silently thanked the girls for playing nicely in their room as she waited for Brody to come to her. She tried to fight against the impulse she had to run out and meet him, but it was taking all of her strength. She tried not to overreact. She relaxed, only slightly when she heard his footsteps start to move again and relaxed even more when she could hear him coming closer to her. His footsteps weren't hurried or clumsy; years of dealing with his personality and sidestepping around his moods have taught her that the speed of his feet are true telltale signs that things might be alright. She bit her lip when she felt him come closer to her and tried not to flinch when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She closed her eyes and tried not to speak for a moment. She tried to just be in the moment, but when she opened her eyes after a few minutes she looked down to find a small bouquet of brightly coloured flowers pressed against her abdomen.

At one time she loved flowers. She supposed she could again but right now she equated flowers with apologies. They're his go to when he needs to apologize; apologize for hitting her, yelling at her, or making her ultimately feel like shit. She had received a huge bouquet from him the day after Ayla was born, complete with roses and baby's breath. He had missed her birth by hours, and had come to the hospital to pick her up with a wild look in his eyes. That had been the first time she never truly appreciated a bouquet of flowers. Flowers stopped meaning something when they held so little, at least to her. She took hold of the small bouquet and brought them up to her nose. Rachel closed her eyes as she inhaled the aroma of the fresh flowers. She always accepted them, because it was nice sometimes to pretend that even for a minute he still liked her, that at one moment he may have even loved her. She opened her eyes when she was finished and turned around in his arms, abandoning the cheese for a minute.

"Thanks for the flowers," she whispered quietly as she tentatively looked up at him.

He gave her a smile before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered on her skin and she closed her eyes before he pulled away. When he did, she slowly opened them when he slowly dragged his hands up and down her arms.

"I'm sorry for yesterday," he sighed as his hands reached hers and he tugged one free, bringing it up to his mouth to give her fingers a gentle kiss. "I just wish you wouldn't make me so mad, yeah?" He gave her another grin before pecking her cheek. She untangled herself from his arms and turned around to find a vase for the flowers and finish dinner.

He sat at the table and watched her finish getting dinner together and didn't move a muscle to help her set the table or finish up the dishes. When she had set everything on the table she called the girls in a steady and cheerful voice and didn't flinch when she saw Ione's eyes widen when she saw Brody sitting at the head of the table. Ayla for her part smiled wide and skipped over to him, allowing him to scoop her up into his lap for a minute before she took her place at the table. She waited with baited breath for something, anything to happen and she felt her shoulders relax when she saw Brody offer Ione a small smile. She knew the kind of smile, it was one he gave her often - especially after a particularly bad blow up. She wondered if Ione knew how to read it too. She blew out a breath as Ione slowly walked over to her seat and she brought the last of the dishes over to the table and took her own space.

Ayla dominated the conversation as she chatted about her day, and Rachel watched as she maintained Brody's attention. He asked her endless questions with the same charming smile on his face that he had given Ione. For her part, Ione quietly picked at her taco that she had dressed herself, choosing to eat the filling before dipping what was left of her wrap in a mixture of salsa and sour cream on the side of her plate. Rachel noticed a pensive look on her face as she looked down at her food, and she furrowed her own brow for a moment. She waited for a break in Ayla's long winded speech about what happened at recess today to bring Ione into the conversation.

She quietly answered Rachel's questions about how her day was, before she brought up that she had a spelling test earlier that day. Rachel froze as she watched Ione look back down at her plate in front of her and Rachel instantly feared the worst. In all of the commotion of last night she had neglected to check in with either Ione or Ayla about homework and she gripped the glass she had just reached for a little tighter. She opened her mouth to question her about the test but Brody beat her to it.

"Well, how did you do Ione?" he asked with feigned interest as he grabbed his glass as well. She flipped her glance between Brody and Ione nervously. Ione, for her part, had continued to stare down at her plate for a minute before she looked up and stared right at Rachel. Rachel nodded and offered her an encouraging smile to go on as she chewed her own lip.

"I only got one wrong," she announced as she nervously looked over at Brody, twisting her fingers together as the words left her lips.

He offered her a smile wider than the one he had been offering Ayla only minutes before, and Rachel released one more sigh of relief. She was always proud of her girls, no matter how well they did in school but it always made her nervous to mention such things around Brody. The eggshells she had to walk on spanned every facet of their lives.

"Well, only one wrong huh? I would say that calls for ice cream after dinner, what do you think Mom?" Brody grinned at her from across the table. She breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned back in her chair. She nodded instantly and turned to Ione.

"We'll have to go get some though, we're all out. But we can go after we're done here."

Ione smiled softly and nodded before turning her attention back to her taco and continued to eat her dinner.

"Can we get strawberry?" she asked after she swallowed her next bite.

Rachel smiled widely and nodded before biting into her own taco. 

* * *

Rachel stood in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. She sighed as she ran her fingertips lightly over her stomach, tracing the spot where he had elbowed her the night before. The spot was red and tender to the touch. She blew a breath between her lips as she stared at herself, the bruises on her arms catching her attention. He had clutched her so hard the night before that they had bruised instantly, and the spots were dark and heavy against her olive toned skin. She was reminded as she stood there, of other times he had marked her skin, other times that he had left bruises on her skin. She was so lost in her thoughts, her fingers running along the band of the bra she wore to trace a spot where she had a scar from a severe burn he had inflicted on her, that she didn't hear the door to the bathroom creak open and Brody slipped in. Her breath caught in her throat when he appeared in the mirror and approached her, winding his arms around her waist and pulling her against him.

She stood frozen as his fingertips danced on the exposed part of her stomach, her stance tense against his touch. He brought one of his hands up and gently brushed her hair away from her back and swept it over her left shoulder. She felt his hot breath on her neck and she closed her eyes as she felt his lips press the crook of her neck.

"Why are you so quiet tonight babe?"he whispered as he dragged his lips lazily up her neck. She could feel the trail his lips were leaving on her skin and she closed her eyes against the sensation. His hands pulled her closer by the hips as he continued to lave at her skin for a few minutes. "Cat got your tongue?" he sighed as his thumbs found her hipbones.

"I'm just tired," she sighed as his fingers delved under the elastic of the floral pajama pants she was wearing. She exhaled when she felt his touch move upwards again, flinching slightly when his fingers grazed over the spot where he had elbowed her.

"I'm so sorry baby," he whispered into her neck. She was quiet as his fingers circled the area that was still tender to the touch. His fingers glided up her arm down to her wrist and raised it just high enough so he could reach the bruise on her arm. "So sorry." He repeated the action with her other arm before gently placing them at her sides and going back to her neck. His hands continued the path they had left off, and instead of stopping at the elastic waistband, they delved below as she trembled against his touch and clenched her eyes closed.

"Let's go to bed," he whispered as he tentatively bit down at the juncture between her neck and shoulder before gently soothing the mark with his tongue.

She blindly followed his lead as he guided her from behind towards their bedroom. Numbly she allowed him to peel off her pajamas pants as she reached back to unsnap her bra. She dropped her eyes to the floor when she caught sight of how he was looking at her and moved over to the bed while he dropped his jeans and boxers to the ground.

Rachel inhaled sharply as he climbed onto the bed beside her and he tentatively reached over and pushed her hair back from her face. She swallowed hard when his fingers skirted her face. She gave him a tentative nod as she took her bottom lip between her teeth as he settled his body above he. He swiped his thumb across her forehead once more to catch the few strands that had fallen back in her face.

"My girl," he grinned as he leaned down and pressed quick, insistent kisses all over her face. "You're so beautiful." His voice was full of lust as his hands started to burn a trail all over the exposed skin he could touch.

She closed her eyes as he touched her and inhaled quickly when his lips descended on hers. She moaned as he touched her intimately, and she could feel the smile come over his lips and his arousal rising between her legs.

The moment he entered her, Rachel felt her back arch and her hands immediately went to his back. She gasped as he thrust into her, his speed building. She tightened her legs around him as he started to piston his lips faster and faster, his head buried in the side of her neck. His hot breath caused the skin of her neck to flush. Her breath came out in short bursts as he started to grunt and move his hands to her breasts as she arched into him.

"Are you close?" he grunted as squeezed her breast a little too hard. She clenched her eyes closed. "I'm so close..." he gasped. She tightened her legs around him at the question, moving her hand to wind around his arms and tried to touch herself to get herself there.

But it all ended quickly as Brody grunted one last time and collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily into her neck as he tried to calm his racing heart. Rachel let her legs and arms go slack around him and blew out a breath herself as she waited for him to move. She sighed quietly as he rolled off of her. She went to roll over onto her side but Brody's hand on her arm caused her to freeze.

"That was so good," he grinned as he leaned over and kissed her shoulder. She laid still and her eyes were fixed on the spot he kissed her, right below where the bruise he had caused was. He didn't seem to notice the how quiet she had become. When he finally rolled over onto his other side, Rachel took that as her moment to slide off the bed.

"Where are you going?" He sat up in bed as she started to slide her robe over her shoulders. He sent her a grin and patted the space on the mattress beside her. "We can go for round two," he winked.

"I'm just going to the washroom," she gave him a gentle smile as she pulled the tie of her robe closed and headed for the door. She didn't turn around when she heard him shuffle around on the bed. Instead, she headed out to the hallway and breathed a deep sigh of relief as she headed towards the bathroom.

Once she was in the safety of the bathroom, she started the shower. She waited for the water to warm up before she dropped her robe on top of the vanity before climbing into the hot water. As she stood under the spray she crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes as she let the water drench her from head to toe. As she stood there, thoughts of how the day had gone, the events of the evening all swirled around. As she thought about Brody and how as usual she welcomed him back with open arms she couldn't help but allow her lip to tremble. She uncrossed her arms and used them to lean against the wall, her head falling forward and hitting the tile with a clunk. She squeezed her eyes tight as she began to cry as silently as she could. She felt dirty, used, unworthy. It had made her feel good for a moment when he called her beautiful and said my girl but now as she thought about it all, heard his words and grunts in her head it made her feel like her skin was going to crawl off her bones. She leaned forward and turned the water up hotter as she began to cry in earnest. 


	5. Chapter 4

**Well hello! No, your eyes do not deceive you, it is me! I know I've been gone for a time and for that I am really, really sorry. There has been a lot (and I mean _a lot_ ) going on over here between work, personal issues and just general all around writer's block. As you all know this story while it is a lot to read in some cases, it is just as hard to write. I've devoted a lot of time to planning out the rest of the story and I now have the clearest of paths that this story is going to take. I assure you won't be disappointed.**

 **Special thanks truly go out first to Lauren, first for her unwavering support and secondly for constantly reminding me how awesome and great this story is and will be. She's truly amazing. As well, special thanks to my mom for her constant support and revisions and affirmations that what I've written is effective, realistic and just...good. Special shout out to Katie for trying to help while knowing as few details as possible so the story doesn't get spoiled.**

 **As always - I don't own Finn, Brody or Rachel. I do own Ione, Ayla, the plot etc. Stealing is wrong and very bad. If you're seeing this any place other than , please know that I did not put it there.**

 **And on we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Rachel smiled as she sat in front of Ayla's teacher, Mrs. Baker. She clutched her hands in her lap as she listened to the older woman talk about the progress Ayla has made in the few months that had gone by since the beginning of the year. She listened intently as Mrs. Baker talked about how Ayla was doing with math, nodding along when she noted that she sometimes had trouble with subtraction. But she smiled brightly when she reported that Ayla was reading ahead of her grade level - and Mrs. Baker didn't hide that she was surprised.

"We read a lot at home," Rachel smiled. "She gets that from me," she laughed.

"Well, you're doing a good job Ms. Berry," Mrs. Baker smiled. "You should be proud."

Rachel blinked for a moment, her features froze on her face as she looked at the teacher. She chose at that moment not to correct her, steeling herself as the words sunk in before smiling once more at the teacher. "Thank you. I...I've tried," she stumbled before they both stood up. Mrs. Baker eyed her carefully before reaching out to shake her hand. She picked up the copy of the report card that Mrs. Baker had offered her at the beginning of the interview and moved to place it in her purse and she walked out to the hallway. She smiled brightly when she saw the girls sitting side by side on chairs outside of the classroom, each of them with noses deep in books they had picked out at the library the weekend before on an outing. They had a few minutes before she had to go meet with Mr. Hudson, so she spent a moment watching as they both got lost in an imaginary world. Reading was one of the things that brought her comfort these days, and it warmed her to see that she had passed that love on to the girls. She could only hope that it brought them as much relief.

"Mommy!" Ayla squealed when she looked up from her My Little Pony book. "Are you all done with Mrs. Baker?"

Rachel smiled as she moved to sit beside Ayla in the empty chair. "I am. And you know what she said?"

Ayla put her book down and looked up at her with a small grin on her face. Rachel reached down and tickled her side. "What Mommy?"

"That you talk too much," she laughed quietly. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head before checking her watch. She looked over at Ione when she noticed she only had a few moments before she had to get to Ione's classroom to see Mr. Hudson.

"Come on, we have to go walk over to Ione's classroom now. I have to go talk to Mr. Hudson," she reached over and nudged Ione's knee when she didn't move at the first mention of going to her classroom. "Hey, did you hear me?"

Ione finally moved her Babysitter's Club book from where she had raised it to her face. "Yeah," she sighed. "Ok."

Rachel bit her lip as she watched Ione hop off the chair. Ayla followed suit and they both stared at her until she stood up from own chair. Ione held out her hand and Rachel gave her a soft smile as she took it before they started the short walk between the classrooms. Rachel felt her smile falter when Ione squeezed her hand as they walked. It causes her to pause for a moment; Rachel was confident she was going to hear much of the same glowing feedback about Ione as she just did about Ayla. She tried not to read too much into it, and sat the girls in the chairs set up outside of the classroom. She kissed both of them on the head before she stood up and straightened the sweater she had brought with her to work to change into. She hadn't wanted to do these interviews in her waitress uniform.

Rachel took a deep breath and knocked on the closed door. She smiled gently at the artwork that decorated the door, all Thanksgiving themed in preparation for the holiday next week. She was just reaching her hand up to trace Ione's cornucopia craft when the door opened and Mr. Hudson stood in front of her, a soft smile on his face.

"Miss Berry, it's great to see you again," Mr. Hudson smiled as they stepped into the classroom together. He offered her the chair in front of his desk before moving to sit behind his desk. He pushed the sleeves of his sweater up as he rested his forearms on the wooden table top of the desk. She smiled as she placed her own hands in her lap.

"I just wanted to start by saying how wonderful it is to have Ione in my class this year," he smiled as he reached for the folder in front of him, that she could only assume kept Ione's report card. "She's doing so well in all of her subjects, reading above her grade level and she even, sometimes, laughs at the corny jokes I make during some of my lessons," he chuckled. Rachel smiled and quietly nodded her head along with what he was saying. That was her Ione. Except maybe the laughing part. She didn't see that part too often at home. Only during movies and the odd time here or there when Ayla made her laugh. She chewed her lip as the thoughts swept through her.

"But she's a quiet little thing, isn't she?" he asked after a few minutes passed.

Rachel wasn't sure how to answer that. Was he saying it was a bad thing that she was quiet, or was it good? She picked at her finger nails and assumed the latter, because of the smile that had remained on his face.

"She is. She's my quiet girl," she smiled softly. "Always has been."

Mr. Hudson cleared his throat and readjusted his fingers on the desk. "I am a little concerned about her though, for that reason..." he started.

Rachel's head straightened as she looked at him across the desk. He offered her a tentative smile. "No cause for alarm. I've just noticed a few things and I wanted to bring them up to your attention."

Her whole body stiffened at his words. "I've just noticed that Ione tends to like doing things on her own. When she's finished her work, she always pulls out whatever book she's been reading," he paused. Rachel opened her mouth to say something. "That isn't something to be worried about. Being an avid reader is a good thing. What I am worried about, is how she does the same at recess. Whenever I'm on yard duty, I can always count on her being close to the wall with a book in her hands. Or she's with your younger daughter," he expressed . "I'm just concerned that..."

"We're new here," she interrupted. As if that was the answer to all of Ione's problems. They had been here for three months, and what was he saying? He didn't think Ione was making friends. Or from what she interpreted, it sounded like he didn't think she was trying.

"I understand that," he offered softly. "And I do know that some kids take longer to get accustomed to changes. I'm just concerned about her, that's all. Has she said anything to you?" She felt herself shrink under his gaze. She could only shake her head. It was the truth, Ione hadn't said anything. But there had, as there always was, been more going on at home than Mr. Hudson or any teacher would ever understand. "She's a wonderful girl Miss Berry, I'm just worried about her," he paused and she watched as a thought crossed his brow. "You know, she really looks up to you," he stopped when a surprised look crossed her face. She could feel some tears even starting to well in her eyes. Mr. Hudson smiled gently as he readjusted the sleeves of his sweater, moving them up higher before he crossed his arms over his chest. "We do journals every morning, as a writing exercise. And a good chunk of her independent entries, the ones where they get to pick their own topic are about all of the adventures you guys go on during the weekends. She really looks up to you Miss Berry, really admires you and she's a really good kid." She bit her lip as he paused to gather his thoughts. "I just want to see her do well and be successful."

She nodded at his words. She let a small smile cross her face. "I really appreciate that. I do. And I'll talk to her."

"You're very lucky to have a child like her," he smiled as they both stood up. Rachel reached down and picked up her bag after grabbing Ione's report card off the table. She reached out to shake his hand once she had placed the report card in her bag with Ayla's.

"I know," she whispered.

"You and her father must be really proud of her," Mr. Hudson smiled as he walked around his desk and went to show her to the door.

Rachel stopped in her tracks. Her shoulders dropped, and she felt her bag slip from her shoulder.

"She...um..." she turned around slowly, swallowing as she took in the kind eyes of the man in front of her. She forced herself to swallow again before she reached to adjust the strap of the bag on her shoulder. "She doesn't see her dad. He doesn't live here," she mumbled under her breath. Rachel straightened herself.

Finn stared at her for a moment, as the words she had spoken truly sunk in. He brushed his hand through his hair.

"Miss Berry, I'm sorry. I just assumed and..."

She offered him a small smile. "It's fine, really. You couldn't have known." She offered him a smile once more before taking another step towards the door before reaching for the handle. She gave him a soft wave before heading out of the classroom and to the girls.

* * *

Finn leaned back against his desk, long after the door had softly clicked behind Miss Berry+. He pushed the sleeves of his sweater higher up on his arms before he crossed them over his chest. His forehead pinched in thought as he went over the meeting he had just had. He blew out a breath as he heard his phone buzzing from his desk drawer, but at first he didn't move to answer it. His mind reeled, thinking about the information he had learned. Certain things became clearer and made more sense; why she was late, why Ione was so protective and seemed to always want to be with her sister.

His phone buzzed again from the inside of the drawer and this time he made a move to answer it. As he typed out a response, he yawned. He was tempted to cancel the plans he had made, but felt it in his bones that he needed a night out. But his mind kept coming back to Ione, and now that he had actually had a chance to talk to her - her mother as well. His mind ran over the conversation over and over as he got his things together, stuffed everything in his briefcase and locked up the classroom for the weekend. As he walked out he noticed a lone mitten sitting on one of the chairs he had set up outside of his classroom. He stopped for a second and bent to pick up the small purple knitted mitten. He smiled a bit as he held it in his hand before stuffing it in his pocket and heading towards the exit.

* * *

Finn pulled the door open to the small pub and shook off the snow that had started to gather on his head from the parking lot. He looked around the dimly lit pub and tried to spot his best friend through the dark space. He nodded briefly when he caught her eye across the way and headed towards her when she waved him over.

Santana Lopez was his best friend - ever. They had grown up together, and had been destined to be stuck with each other long before either of them were actually born. Their mothers had been best friends from childhood, so it was only inevitable that Santana and Finn became the best of friends as well.

"It's about time you got here Lurch," Santana grinned as she stood up and wrapped her long arms around his neck.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. You know - parent teacher interview night," he laughed before he placed a kiss on her cheek. He playfully rolled his eyes before he slid into his seat.

"It's cute that you think I care," she winked. "I ordered you a beer already..." she laughed as she nudged her chin towards the Heineken sitting on the table. "Figured you would need it."

Finn sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He reached for the beer that was already starting to sweat and took a swig. When he swallowed the sip, he placed the bottle back down before sighing. "You're right."

"I'm always right," Santana laughed once more. "I've known your sorry ass for how long? I know when my boy needs a drink. Tell Auntie Tana all about it."

"When are you gonna stop calling yourself that?" he laughed as he reached for the menu. He knew he would probably wind up ordering the same thing he did every time they met up here, but in that moment he felt like he needed to do something with his hands.

"Probably around the same time you realize that every time we come here, you get the same thing," she laughed as she grabbed the menu from his hands. "Now how was your night?"

He sighed. "The usual. It's third grade Tana, nothing really to write home about. Except maybe... one kid..."

"...the one who spit shines his hair every morning?"

He rolled his eyes. Tell Santana one story and she runs with it forever.

"Or the one who has that really overprotective Mom who asks you to write detail notes about his day in his agenda?" she laughed as she picked up her beer just as the waitress came over to take their orders. She ordered  
the chicken tenders and fries while he ordered the Cowboy Burger, complete with bacon and extra cheese. When she left, Santana took an extra minute to turn back to Finn.

"You know, you could ask her out you know. You stare at her every time we come here," Finn winked. He grimaced when Santana kicked him under the table.

"So nothing important happened then huh? God, your job is boring."

"We can't all be saving the planet one flu shot at a time, Santana." He didn't even try to hide the grimace when she kicked him once more.

"There is this one student though...Ione..." he sighed after he put down his now empty beer. "She's really quiet. And her Mom seemed kind of twitchy at the meeting tonight when I brought it up."

"What did her dad say?"

"That's the kicker. Apparently she doesn't see her Dad. It was just...it's all weird and I feel bad for the kid because she just seems...nervous..."

Santana bit her lip. "Finn..." she trailed off before her thought could be completed.

"What?" he shrugged as he pulled at the label on his beer.

Santana reached over and placed her hand on top of his. She tugged his hand until he was looking at her directly in the eye. "Keep your distance."

"Santana," he sighed.

"I mean it Finn. Keep your distance."

* * *

"Mommy, what are we going to have for dinner? Can we stop and get pizza Mommy?" Ayla asked as she tugged on Rachel's hand. They were half way home and Ayla had yet to stop talking the entire walk.

"No, we can't have pizza sweetheart," Rachel sighed. She turned around to look a Ione. "Ione, can you pick up your pace a little bit sweetheart? It's cold!" The little girl looked up and stared at Rachel for a moment before she picked up her steps and caught up to where they had stopped. Her hands were jammed in her pockets and her eyes turned towards the ground that had a little bit of snow starting to accumulate on the sidewalk.

"Where are your mittens Ione?" Rachel asked softly. When Ione refused to look up at her, she tilted her head back until her face was turned towards her. She adjusted the beanie hat they had bought at Target the weekend before so she could see her eyes. Ione bit her lip as she stared at Rachel without saying a word.

The weekend before Rachel had hammered into the girls not to lose any of the winter gear she had saved up to buy them. She had nervously spent money that she didn't exactly have and was already nervous about Brody finding out how much everything cost. Things had been rocky this week, with the girls getting colds and having to take time off to be with them, since Brody wasn't of any help. Small fights had occurred and the environment in the apartment was already hostile and she felt like she was walking on eggshells trying to keep whatever was possibly coming at bay.

"I can't find it," she mumbled as she lifted one gloved hand to her mouth.

"Oh Ione," Rachel whispered as a sigh escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry Mommy!" she whimpered. "I had it all day I promise and then when we got out...it wasn't in my pocket and I don't know what happened!" her cries got louder as Rachel pulled her own glove off her hand and pushed it onto Ione's bare fingers. "Mom," she whimpered. Rachel didn't say anything before she took Ione's hand in her own before reaching for Ayla and finished the walk to their apartment building.

Ione whimpered the entire way up the stairs towards the apartment. Rachel sighed as she unlocked the door and ushered Ayla inside, while tugging Ione to stay back with her for a moment.

"It's okay sweetheart," she whispered as she crouched in front of her and gently pushed away the hair that had fallen from under her hat and into her eyes. There were tears pooling in her eyes but had yet to fall. Rachel immediately felt bad for being the reason those tears were put there, and all over a mitten. "We'll get you another set next weekend. For now you can wear mine," she offered as Ione hiccupped.

"But what about you, Mommy?" she asked quietly.

Rachel offered her a small smile. "I'll be fine for a few days sweetheart. Plus, that's what pockets are for," she winked. "I love you Ione."

"I love you too Mommy," Ione offered her a small smile before wrapping her small arms around Rachel's neck. Rachel kissed her cheek before they pulled away, before returning to her full height.

Rachel followed Ione into the apartment with her hands resting on her shoulders. She still whimpered a little, but Rachel could tell that she was trying to calm herself down as they entered the apartment.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Brody's voice sliced through her like a shard of glass. Ione froze under Rachel's hands. She gently squeezed her shoulders as Ione looked back up at her.

"Go put your stuff away sweetheart," Rachel pasted on a smile as she gently nudged Ione off into the direction of her room. She toed off her boots and shrugged off her coat before she grabbed her backpack and headed for the bedroom. Rachel watched as she looked back at her with worried eyes before going to find Ayla.

"I asked you a fucking question," Brody stabbed. "What the fuck is wrong with her?"

"She's fine. Just a rough day..." Rachel sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She toed off her own boots and took off her own coat before she tried to move past him.

He chuckled harshly as he brushed passed him finally, and he followed her into the kitchen.

"Why are you guys so fucking late anyway?" he snapped as he reached into the fridge and grabbed a beer. Rachel waited a beat for him to be finished and safely in a chair at the table to go towards the refrigerator and fish out something for dinner.

"I told you," she started as she tried to keep her voice even and steady. "We had parent teacher interviews tonight."

"You sure as fuck didn't tell me that, I would have come..." she cringed when she heard him slam his beer bottle onto the table. She held her breath and bit her tongue because she didn't want to say anything she would regret. She had told him. She reminded him over and over in the days leading up that the interviews were tonight. He had never attended them in the past, but foolishly she had thought that maybe he would come this time since he didn't seem to be busy doing God knows what right now.

"How did they go?" he snapped as she finally landed on some ground beef she had in the fridge. She picked it up and closed the fridge door behind her. "You better be fucking making burritos with that..."

She froze when his words cut through her. She hadn't been planning anything, but now it seemed he had made the decision for her.

"Of course," she stammered. She reached over to the cupboard to grab what she would need to spice the meat as he kept talking behind her.

"So what did the teachers say, Rachel?" he snarled. She kept her face away from him as she busied her hands with preparing dinner.

"Nothing much. Just that Ayla was having some issues with subtraction and that she's reading above her grade level..." She heard him snicker behind her and audibly take a sip from his beer bottle.

"And what about Ione?" She tensed her shoulders because she could hear the disinterest colouring his words. She busied her hands with breaking up the meat and tossing it into the heated pan.

"It was fine," she mumbled as the meat in the pan began to sizzle in the pan. She didn't miss Brody's snicker and the chair scrapping against the floor.

"That bad, huh?" He crossed the very small space and came to stand beside her, leaning his elbows on the counter.

She moved away from him to grab the lettuce, tomato and cheese out of the fridge. Brody stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face as she got started, first with tearing lettuce before moving to chop up the tomatoes.

"So what, she failing yet?" he snickered as he took a pull from his beer. "She was whimpering like a little girl..."

Rachel dropped the knife beside the cutting board and blew out a breath. She could feel all of the muscles in her body tensing and her fists clenching as she tried to remain calm. He was baiting her, trying to get a reaction out of her, she knew that much. She just couldn't lose it, had to remain calm. She turned to look at him with her knuckles clicking against the countertop. "It went fine. She's fine, Ayla's fine, everyone's fine..." she stammered as she picked up the knife once more and went back to chopping up the tomatoes. "Dinner is almost ready, if you want to get washed up," she sighed, trying to change the subject. "Get the girls..." she added softly.

She waited until she heard him stalk out of the room to let out the breath she had been holding. She inhaled sharply as she heard Brody interacting with the girls. She quickly got the dishes ready and pulled out plates to start dishing out dinner. Rachel plastered on a smile when Ayla came skipping into the room, Brody not too far behind her.

"Where's Ione?" she asked as she walked over to the table with Ayla and Brody's plates in her hands. She waited for both of them to be seated. Ayla squealed and immediately dug into the burrito Rachel had put together for her while Brody plopped down in his chair.

"She said she wasn't hungry," Brody shrugged. "Didn't want dinner." The words slipped from his mouth so nonchalantly, but they still hit her straight in the gut. She walked behind Ayla and pressed a kiss to her head before she walked out of the kitchen and towards the girls bedroom.

* * *

Rachel leaned against the entry way to the girls bedroom and she just watched for a moment. Ione was curled up on her side, her face towards the window and her nose stuck in the Babysitter's Club book that she was reading.

"Hey, you going to come eat? I made burritos," Rachel called after giving it a minute. She kept an ear out for Brody and Ayla in the kitchen but tried to keep her attention on Ione.

"I'm not hungry," Ione mumbled.

Rachel sighed and raised her hands to her face to rub her eyes before taking a few steps forward to sit on the side of Ayla's bed.

"You have to eat sweetheart," she tried.

"Not hungry."

"Ione," she tried. "I can make you something else if you don't want burritos. There's soup left..."

Ione sighed and rolled over onto her back, the hand holding her book dropping to her side. It was then that she noticed the tears in Ione's eyes.

"I just want to be by myself Mommy," she sighed.

"Did something happen at school today sweetheart?" she paused. "Can I..."

"Mommy, I just want to read my book," she pouted. Rachel stared at her for a moment and briefly wondered what had gotten in to her. Ione bit her lip as she stared back at Rachel. "Please."

Rachel finally broke her trance as she heard Ayla let out a loud laugh, no doubt at something Brody had done or said. She nodded before standing up from Ayla's bed. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ione's head. She checked to see if the fever she had had earlier in the week had emerged once more. Once she was satisfied that she was okay, she backed away and turned to leave the room.

* * *

Ione stayed quiet the rest of the evening. It gnawed at Rachel for the entire night, even more so once she sent Ayla to bed. Ione didn't even flinch when Ayla bounded into the room and jumped on her own bed. Rachel bit her lip as she watched Ayla clamour under the covers and Ione bury herself deeper into hers. She was sure her silence was probably still related to the loss of her mitten, and in that moment she felt her heart fall to the pit of her stomach. Ione carried everything with her, carried anxieties and disagreements on her shoulders much longer than she should. Rachel's mind shot back to the conversation she had had with Mr. Hudson earlier in the evening as she watched Ione curl into herself more on her bed she began to get a clearer picture of what he was talking about. Ione retreated into herself when things went bad and closed herself off to new people when things were unstable. She felt a lump form in her throat as thoughts floated through her mind as she continued to watch her curl into herself.

But it was Brody's voice that broke through her trance. He had retreated to the bedroom after her and Ayla had taken up residence in the living room to watch Zootopia with popcorn. She didn't want to think about even that hadn't enticed Ione out of her bedroom. She heard him stumbling around in the bedroom, and she braced herself for whatever he was about to say to her. Rachel turned on her heel and headed out of the girls bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her as she went.

"What is this?" Brody was in her face the moment she had clicked the door behind her. She braced herself against the bedroom door tightly as he came closer. She cringed when she noticed the receipt paper waving around in his hand. She pulled her features tightly as his breath washed over her face. The smell of beer and even a bit of whisky crept up her nose. He raised his hand and slammed his palm against the wall beside her.

"I asked you a question! What is this?!" he roared.

She winced, hoping the girls had fallen asleep quickly. "It's a receipt."

"I can fucking see that. But a receipt for what?" he snarled.

"Coats. Winter coats for the girls and..."

"$190 Rachel. $190! That's a lot of fucking money that we don't have right now!" He brought his hand down off the wall and reached to grab her from the door by the shoulders. She closed her eyes as she let him pull her forward, dragging her into the bedroom and pushing her against the bed. She stumbled and fell into the bed with her knees hitting the railing. Her knee immediately ached and stung from the impact.

"Stupid bitch," he grunted as he walked behind her, kneeing her in the side as he went. She cringed as she buried her head in the mattress as he moved around the room. "I'm going to the bathroom. You better be ready when I get back..."

Her lip trembled as she waited for him to leave the room. She scrambled to her feet despite the ache in her knee and now her side as she tried to brace herself for whatever he had coming to her.

* * *

Rachel woke up the next morning to the feeling of something stabbing her in the shoulder. She immediately reconciled the sharp tap of the finger repeatedly against her shoulder as being Brody and she inwardly tried to brace herself before she opened her eyes. The pokes and prods were insistent, so she didn't have much time to collect herself as they sped up.

"Get the fuck up," he grumbled as soon as she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times as her eyes began to focus. "It's already fucking 9. Get up. The girls are already whining and I don't want to deal with this shit this early."

She took a moment to let his words sink in, and sat up slowly. He reached out and grabbed her arm, tugging her forward in a haste so powerful she lunged forward and almost tripped right into him. She was able to save her balance by gripping onto his arms, only to have him throw her back on the bed. "You're so fucking dumb," he grumbled as she tried again and he stomped his way to the door.

Rachel shook herself off and watched as he tore out of the bedroom. She waited for him to slam the bathroom door, as was the case a few moments later before she stumbled around herself, grabbed for a sweatshirt that had been hastily thrown on the side of the laundry basket before heading to find the girls. Her temples were throbbing and her body ached as she attempted to pull her messy, sleep mused hair into a ponytail. As she entered the kitchen she found the girls sitting at the table, perfectly still. Ione's eyes seemed to be plastered to the table in front of her, the pad of her finger running over the crack in the wood. Ayla bounced in her seat as Rachel walked into the room.

"Morning Mommy!" she grinned, bouncing on her bottom. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast? Puh-lese?"

Rachel plastered a smile as she walked more into the kitchen and leaned on the counter that faced the girls.

"That sounds good to me," she smiled. "Ione, what kind of pancakes would you like?"

Rachel eyed her for a moment, as she continued to use her finger to follow along the path that the crack was taking.

She finally peeled her eyes away and looked up at Rachel, her eyes sad and distracted. "Can we have banana, please?" she asked quietly.

Rachel tried to make her smile wider as the door to the bathroom banged open behind them, and she attempted to hide the way her body tensed at the sound.

"Of course. Is that okay with you Ayla?"

Ayla smacked her lips before her face broke out into a grin. "Banana pancakes are my favourite!"

Ione chuckled in that moment as Rachel turned her back to get a start on the pancakes. It was the first time she had laughed since they got home.

"You said that last week about blueberry pancakes Ayla," she laughed quietly.

"I just love all pancakes," Ayla giggled as she kneeled up on her chair and stretched her arms above her head. "Especially Mommy pancakes! They're the best!"

Rachel quickly got the pancakes going while the girls chattered behind her. As the minutes ticked it seemed like Ayla was really getting to Ione to relax and come out of her shell. When she turned around with the first plate of pancakes in her hand, her mouth twitched as she watched Ayla tell Ione a story, involving princesses and flying monkeys - it sounded suspiciously like a mash of Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty, but she didn't want to interrupt and ruin their fun for the moment. But as she placed the plate on the table and moved to scoop a few onto each of their plates, they each became quiet as they both began to dig in to their favourite Saturday morning treat. She left the table briefly to grab a cup of coffee from the pot she had made while she was making the pancakes. She slid into her chair and smiled as Ayla turned to her, with a syrup laden smile.

"Are they good?" she asked, neither girl in particular. Both girls nodded.

"Why aren't you having any Mommy?" Ione asked softly as she reached for the glass of milk she had gotten before Rachel had come into the room.

"I'm not really hungry right now sweetheart."

In truth, she can barely stomach the coffee she was holding in her hand, let alone a pancake. What she really wanted was a shower, but given that Brody seemed to be in an even worse of a mood than he was last night, and was busy banging around between the bedroom and the bathroom she wanted to just stay out of his way. Ione dropped her fork and bit her lower lip, staring at Rachel for a second. The haunted look returned in her eyes that Ayla had just managed to replace moments before. Rachel tried to offer her a reassuring smile before urging her to get back to her pancakes before they got cold. Ione hated cold pancakes.

"Mommy?" Ione finally asked after she had gone back to her pancakes for a few minutes. Rachel took another sip of her coffee as she turned her attention to her once more. "Can we do something fun today?" she asks quietly.

Rachel put her coffee cup down and looked at her intently. "Like what sweetheart?"

She looks down at her pancake. "There's this movie...and everyone at school was talking about it yesterday..." her voice faded as Rachel chewed her lip, mentally going over her bank account before she could fully complete an answer.

"Ione," she started.

"Don't even think about spending money today Rachel," Brody snapped as he stepped into the room. "The rent is due this week and we need to get our cheque in before you can spend it on more frivolous shit," he dictated as he marched around her, jostling her shoulder as he marches by to get to the coffeemaker. Rachel winced when she heard the words leave his lips and stood up to put her coffee cup in the sink. She turned back to look at Ione who was now looking down at her plate, her long hair dangling in front of her so Rachel can't see her. She walked around the table and knelt down beside Ione as Brody made himself a cup of coffee, his eyes still boring into her back so hard she felt like he would burn her skin through her shirt.

"We can't go to the movies today sweetheart, but maybe we can go on another adventure instead?" Ione barely smiled with her nod, but it satisfied Rachel enough to stand up.

She heard Brody chuckle behind her but she tried to pay no mind to it as she walked back to her spot and slid into her seat.

* * *

When the cold air hits her face later that morning, Rachel can actually feel herself breathe a sigh of relief. Brody had continued to stalk around her while she washed up the dishes from breakfast. She had sent the girls off to their bedroom to get ready for the day as he stalked around her, before going to the bathroom and slamming the door quickly.

"Where are we going to go today Mommy?" Ayla asked as she smiled up at her. Ione stood stone silent beside her, her lip worried between her teeth as she looked at the ground.

Rachel clutched Ayla's hand in hers. If she was honest, she hadn't thought about what they would do - she had just known after last night, and the way he had snapped at her this morning that she had to get them out of the apartment.

"Well, how about we start with going to get some hot chocolate?" Rachel brushed her fingers through the loose ends of Ayla's hair that wasn't hidden by her hat.

"Yes!" she cheered as she jumped a bit on her toes before she tugged on Rachel's hand towards the small diner on the corner. Rachel let Ayla pull her, but kept her opposite arm stretched out to Ione.

"Come on," she called. "I'll let you get some whipped cream!"

Ione's mouth piqued into a smile as she ran to catch up to them and took Rachel's hand tightly in hers. She was quiet during the walk as Ayla filled the silence, chattering on about everything and nothing at the same time.  
Rachel had to chuckle when she caught bits and pieces of what she was saying, catching elements of chocolate chips for her hot chocolate and talking about how they should go to the Zoo like they did two summers ago. Ayla's imagination was always running wild.

Once they had gotten their hot chocolate, with no chocolate chips much to Ayla's disappointment, they had sat in the small diner and drank them before heading back out into the cold. As they walked Rachel got an idea of how to spend the morning. She left it as a surprise, only stopping to tell the girls they weren't going home when they walked passed their apartment.

There was a small pet store that they always passed on the way to and from school, but she had never really paid it any mind because they were always in such a hurry. Now they had the time to go in and look around.

Brody would never allow them to have a pet. When she had met him he had been hiking with a dog, who as it turned out had been his sisters. Animals were a nuisance and took too much time, he had explained over and over as the years zipped by them. If it hadn't been for how much he doted on Ayla in the moments he saw fit, she would wonder if that was how he felt about their children as well.

She ushered the girls inside and watched as both of their faces, even Ione's, exploded into smiles she hadn't seen in awhile. Especially Ione's. Her heart warmed as she watched them both rush over to a small enclosure that had some guinea pigs in side. They bounced from animal to animal, the girls clutching hands so that they would stay together. But it was the moment they both stumbled on the enclosure with some of the smallest Golden Retriever puppies she had ever seen. The girls oohed and awed for a few minutes and even giggled when one stood up from where they were all huddled together and sniffed their hands.

They were all startled when the woman who had been standing behind the counter walked up to them and started to speak to them.  
"They're brand new. They just went up for adoption last weekend. They're ready to go..." she smiled.

Rachel smiled politely back at the woman as the girls continued to swoon over the puppies.

"Oh. We're just looking..." she offered.

The woman seemed to understand, but her eyes kept darting to Ione and Ayla who had seemed to have fallen in love with the four legged fluff balls.

"How would you guys like to hold one or two?" she offered.

Both Ione and Ayla dropped their hands from the cage and spun around on their heels.

"Can we Mommy?" Ione asked quietly and carefully. It was the first time she had truly spoke since they really set out. She knew Brody shooting down the movie idea had crushed her spirits even more so than they already seemed to be. It hurt Rachel to know that Ione was in such a funk, but the smile that came over her features when she nodded and gave her consent for the girls to get a chance to play with the puppies warmed her.

She watched as they both scrambled after the attendant and followed her into the small booth with a half door. She leaned her arms on the edge, padding her stomach with the coats the girls had shrugged off moments before they got in the booth.

Both girls squealed with delight as the two golden retriever puppies were brought in. One of them immediately took to Ione and flopped in her lap searching for a belly rub. Ione's giggle filled the room as she immediately went about giving the little puppy exactly what she wanted. Rachel snapped photo after photo as the girls played with the puppies. She laughed as she watched the girls offer the puppies the treats the attendant had given them, and the puppy Ione was playing with had stood up with her paws on her chest and licked Ione's face.

They probably could have stayed there all day. But after awhile Rachel could tell the attendant was getting a little annoyed and when she checked her watch, she saw that they had been there for almost two hours. The girls reluctantly said goodbye to the puppies and grabbed their coats before thanking the attendant and heading out into the cold.

"Mommy, can we get a puppy?" Ayla asked as they walked back towards the apartment. Her and Ione were skipping ahead of her, chattering on and on about the puppies they had just gotten to play with. While it was a nice change for Rachel to see Ione so animated, the girls kept stopping every few steps and she had to remind them to keep walking.

"No sweetheart," she whispered as they continued the journey.

"Why not?" Ayla whined. Rachel stopped short, almost tripping over Ayla in the process. Both girls had stopped and turned to look at her with wide eyes.

She sighed and put her hands on both of their heads. "Where would we put a dog, huh?" _Plus your father would never let us have one._

"She could share our room!" Ayla exclaimed.

"Ayla, we're not getting a dog sweetheart. Now come on - it's getting cold and I don't know about you but I want dinner..."

Ayla huffed at the way Rachel had deflected, but at the moment Rachel tried not to let it get to her. She prayed as they approached their apartment building that Brody was either gone or passed out or at the very least in a better mood. The girls were quiet as she herded them up the stairs and she felt herself let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as they entered the quiet and dark apartment. Brody was nowhere to be found.

The girls settled in the living room while she went to the kitchen to prepare an late lunch/early dinner of grilled cheese and soup. She smiled gently as she heard them bickering over what to watch on tv, before the telltale sounds of Ione walking out of the room and down the hallway started. Rachel eyed the door of the kitchen and smiled when she watched Ione traipse back to the living room only moments later, her large fluffy purple blanket in her hands.

* * *

Later that evening, Rachel curled up on the couch watching an old rerun of Friends while the girls slept. She was enjoying a rare night to herself, allowing the quietness of the apartment and the calm atmosphere of the apartment. She was just standing up to put her glass of water in the sink and head to bed when the jingling of the apartment door caused her body to freeze. She waited for a minute, and sure enough the door swung open and Brody stumbled in once he successfully got the door open. She tried to stay as stone still in the kitchen as possible as to not alert him to her presence. She closed her eyes as she listened to him stumble around the apartment. She could tell by his movements and the various stops and starts that he must be drunk. Years of living with him, dealing with him had taught her all about his movements and tendencies and she figured he had left after them and hit the bar. She cringed when she thought about Brody being drunk; he was a challenging drunk that was hard to take care of. Not that he was easy to take care of under the best of circumstances. She waited with baited breath until she couldn't hear him stumbling anymore before she refilled her cup of water and took a big drink before heading out of the kitchen to deal with whatever Brody had planned.

Or not planned.

She entered the bedroom and sighed when she saw Brody passed out on the bed. She rubbed her face and moved into the bedroom as quietly as she could to grab her pajamas before she headed to the bathroom to clean up for the night. But before she made it out she walked over to Brody's side of the bed and managed to pull the comforter out from underneath him without much fanfare. She huffed at her effort before turning on her heel to head to the bathroom to get herself ready for bed.

* * *

Ione shrugged her coat off as she stood in front of the little cubby that was hers. Monday morning had dawned faster than she had wanted, and she had been rudely woken up by her sister singing at the top of her lungs while she ate her breakfast. She hadn't gotten to eat what she wanted for breakfast because Brody had taken the last bagel, so she had been stuck with cereal. Not a great way to start the day, she thought.

"Hey Ione!" she broke out of her trance when she heard her name being called from down the hall. She looked up to find Mr. Hudson coming down the hallway with a smile on his face. "Did you have a good weekend Ione?" he asked quietly as he approached. She looked down at her feet as her teacher came closer to her.

"Yeah..." she answered quietly.

Mr. Hudson continued to look at her, so Ione chose to stare at the floor to get his attention away from her. "Hey, listen, I found this on my way out on Friday...any chance you know who's it is?" He held up her mitten; the one she had been missing - that she had been so distraught and upset about losing.

"Oh Mr. Hudson," she whispered as she reached for the glove. Mr. Hudson handed it to her. "Thank you," she teared up as she took the purple mitten from his hand. She took the mitten and held it up to her cheek as if he had just given her back her security blanket. Ione felt relief colour all of her features and her body relaxed as she clutched the fuzzy material just as Mr. Hudson walked passed her and walked into the classroom.

Finn was taken aback by Ione's reaction to the mitten. As he walked into the classroom and towards his desk the scene that had just happened played over and over in his mind. He lifted his bag and placed the briefcase onto the surface as the second bell rang and he heard the commotion of the kids outside in the hallway beginning to clamour towards the door of the classroom. He didn't have much time to get his things together as his interaction with Ione in the hallway had taken up some time, but he didn't regret it. He watched as each of his students filed in and he nodded at each of them. What he didn't miss though, was the smile that Ione gave him when she walked by his desk. He offered her one back, but as he stood there he wondered how giving back her mitten could have affected her that much - or why it had.

* * *

There. Hope it won't be as long until the next chapter...


	6. Chapter 5

Hello! No long, rambling authors note this time. Just a hope you like it. Hope you like it!  
I don't own Finn, Rachel or Brody. Just Ione, Ayla and the plot.

* * *

 **Chapter Five  
** Rachel stood in front of the mirror and winced when she touched the tender spot on her collarbone. She tried to keep the tears in her eyes at bay. Her lip trembled as she dropped her hand to the vanity and she dropped her head in sync. She could still even hear the rattling of the apartment door as he stormed out, to do God knows what with God knows who. His voice echoed in her mind, the ugly words hurling from ear to ear as the tears rained down her cheeks. She closed her eyes against the tears that continued to flow. She took a deep breath to try and steady her emotions before she left the safety of the bedroom. The girls were safe in their beds and had been since long before Brody stormed in. She hung her head once more as she tried to focus her breathing. That was her only reprieve tonight. That the girls hadn't seen him come at her this time.

She had been having such a good day with the girls, too. They had baked cookies and they had decorated the small Christmas tree that now sat proudly in the corner of their living room. She padded quietly out to the living room, walking passed the girls room and into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea as more memories of the day flooded her memory. She tried to remember all of the good that had happened, because in these moments, the aftermath of the explosions that seemed to be coming closer and closer together as Christmas approached, it was hard to believe that life would get any better. She made her tea quickly, opting for sleepy time tea with a hint of milk to hopefully help her get to sleep quickly, before Brody returned. She headed into the living room and slid onto the couch, sighing as she sunk into the worn material before she took a sip of the warm liquid. She closed her eyes as the warmth of the drink slid down her throat.

She opened her eyes to the blinking of the small white lights Ione had strung around the small tree. Her eyes focused on the steady pattern for a moment, before her eyes travelled over to the wall of pictures she had hung soon after they had moved in. Her eyes zeroed in on the girls newest school pictures and she bit her lip a she stared at both of them, before taking another sip of her tea. Her thoughts wandered as she continued to stare at the pictures, but had to look away when Ione's sad green eyes began to bore into her own. The stare from the photo caused her to look down at her hands that were wrapped around the warm mug and really dig her teeth into her lip.

She used to love Christmas. It was at one time her favourite time of the year; all of it - the decorating, the baking, the excitement. She had loved the way her childhood home had looked all done up in multicoloured lights, fresh garlands and the fresh tree that they cut every year. She remembered with fondness the way the smell of fresh baking hung in the air, the smell of freshly iced sugar cookies, the way the gingerbread melted in your mouth if you ate it when it was fresh out of the oven. She remembered it all so fondly and it caused her heart to seize at the thoughts that she wasn't able to continue those memories with her own girls. Brody hated Christmas. He hated every single thing involved with the holiday with the exception of the gift giving - even if he had never been good at it himself. It was something that he had told her from the beginning, how much he disliked the holiday. She had just assumed that since she had Ione and they soon followed with having Ayla that his opinion would change. She had never been more wrong in her entire life.

Rachel took a tentative sip of her tea once more, as her thoughts raced in the quiet of the apartment. Her collarbone throbbed where he had knocked her with his elbow in his fit of drunken fueled rage. She swallowed hard as she turned her attention back to the tree and the blinking lights.

She had no idea why she stayed. Days like today, where she got to have carefree fun with the girls in her own home made her think hard about what it would be like if she had left Brody behind in Manhattan when he had lost his job. Or better yet - if he had left her behind in Los Angeles, when she was pregnant with Ayla. She closed her eyes again against the memory of that time all those years ago. Things had been good then. She had believed then, that Brody was her forever.  
But not like this.  
He had promised her things. Promised her money and a good life. He had lured her away from the comfortable life she had built for her and Ione in Los Angeles, one she had worked so hard to achieve after leaving her small town in Ohio for college. He had made a show of being the father Ione deserved, the man she deserved. But once they had arrived, her heavily pregnant and with a toddler in tow and him with a facade of bravado and a false sense of family and togetherness; everything had changed. Her lip trembled as she thought of those first few weeks here. The anxiety she had felt being in a city she didn't know, pregnant and all alone had been something she had never imagined. His career had taken off just as the lid had blown off his temper and the rest - as they say - was history.

She had tried to leave before. Three times to be exact. The first time had been when Ayla was three weeks old, and he had shoved her into a wall when she couldn't get the newborn to quiet. Ayla had had colic for the first several weeks of her life and despite Rachel's best efforts she didn't always have the magic answer. So when it was over, and Brody had left to go to work - she had packed up the girls and took them to a hotel. She had gotten away for three days before Brody found her, and dragged her back to the apartment in a cab while Ayla screamed and Ione sat stone quiet in her seat.

She had tried two more times after that. Each time the time her and the girls were gone got smaller and smaller. He was always able to find her, track her down. Nothing she owned was in her name, even her cell phone was in his name at T-Mobile. It frightened her to her core, that she may never be able to escape his clutches - even if things got worse.

She sat stone still on the couch with her hands wrapped around the warm cup of tea. The blinking of the lights continued to soothe her. The eerie atmosphere in the apartment wrapped around her like an ironic security blanket. She was trapped.

* * *

The excitement in the classroom was palpable and Finn had to smile as he watched the groups of his students chattering around, completing yet another Christmas craft. He had set his plans up for the week to include a big activity like this one, decorating ornaments using small bottles of fabric paint, each day leading up to the end of the week. It was the last week before the Christmas holiday, and he knew very much from experience that the kids would want nothing to do with the rest of the curriculum he had to get through. So a few years ago he had come up with this idea - to spend the entire week doing Christmas activities instead of limiting it to one day and one big party. He loved Christmas, and it made him so happy to see his enthusiasm for the holiday rubbing off on his students. Every day, for the last period they did an activity, whether it was learning about some other traditions, or the history of Christmas and there was always a craft. And this afternoon was no different.

The music was playing and the kids were happily decorating the blank porcelain- type ornaments he had found at an obscure hobby shop one weekend during the summer when he was visiting his parents on the Upper East Side. Correction, his mother had found them and ordered an obscene amount of them before he knew anything about his class roster for the year. (She was good for things like that, God bless her). Either way, he smiled as he sat as his desk watching the scene around him unfolded before he went back to marking the math tests from the morning. Everyone was happy, engaged in what they were doing. His eyes fell on Ione, whose desk was a few feet from his own. He sighed as he put down the red pen he was using to mark the tests and watched her for a moment. He frowned when he noticed that her head was down, her hair falling down into her face. He leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms across his chest and watched her. He tossed the pen down on the desk and got up from his desk. He made the rounds at first, checking on the other students and commenting on their designs before he approached Ione.

He smiled as he approached her desk, taking note of the delicately decorated ornament she had carefully placed to the side of her desk. Beside it, rested a blank ornament that looked like Ione hadn't even bothered to touch.

"Hey Ione, that's really pretty," he smiled as he approached the desk. Ione slowly looked up from the book she was reading, her hair still hanging in her face. She gently pushed the loose strands behind her ear before she looked up at him and gave him a soft smile.

"Thanks," she offered quietly. He watched for a minute as her eyes darted between the ornament on her desk, him and the book in her lap.

"Why don't you make the other one too?" He gently crouched beside her desk so that he was more on her level.

She gently shrugged and reached for the bookmark and stuck it between the pages she had been reading. She sighed softly as she turned her full attention to look at him. "Why?" she questioned. Finn raised his eyebrow as he looked at her intently. "I only have Mommy to give it to," she asked for clarification before she dropped her eyes to the book she was holding.

Her admission caused Finn to pause. He noticed Ione twitch uncomfortably under his gaze as he tried to come up with something to say.

"I'm sure your Mom would love to get two from you," he started. "Especially if they're both as pretty as this one," he pointed to the one that was drying on her desk. "Sound good?"

He watched her wait a beat before giving him a gentle nod and putting her book away. He smiled as he stood up to his full height before he started to walk back to his desk. His name was called by another student, so he detoured to see what was happening.

* * *

At the end of the week, Finn himself felt exhausted - and maybe even a little excited. He listened to the chatter around the classroom as the kids got their things together and slowly started to flow out of the room to empty their cubbies and start their winter vacations. He smiled and wished each child a Merry Christmas as they left to get their coats and boots. The volume in the classroom simmered until there were only a few children milling about, so he continued to pack his bag with anything he needed to mark over the holidays and the abundance of unnecessary gifts that he always received. He looked up from his bag to notice Ione standing over by the counter, looking like she was trying to make a decision about something. He didn't say anything because he didn't want to spook her, so he turned back to his own bag. When he looked up, she was gone before he could even say Merry Christmas. He sighed as he picked up his jacket off the back of the chair as the final child, Liam, left with his things. He picked up his things, but stopped before he could leave the classroom. A lone ornament caught his eye on the counter and he took two strides over to pick it up. He sighed when he noticed it was Ione's ornament, and he quickly wondered if he would be able to catch her out in the hallway or the yard before she left for the break.

As soon as he stepped out into the main hallway of the school, he saw both Ione and her sister sitting on the bench they almost always occupied. He smiled as he approached the sisters, listening to Ayla chat about her own party she had had in her classroom.

"Hey Ione, you forgot your other ornament." He watched as she turned around at the sound of his voice. She eyed the ornament that was dangling from his fingers before her eyes widened and she gave him a rare smile, one Finn has never really seen before.

"You can keep it Mr. Hudson," she suggested. A piece of her hair fell in her face and she pushed it out of the way before she offered him one more smile. "Merry Christmas."

Finn stood there for a moment, staring at the ornament in his hand before looking back at Ione. She was still smiling at him, until her attention was turned to the door of the school opening and her mother coming in. He smiled as he watched the girls slowly get off the bench, both of their arms laddened with the crafts and gifts they had made for the holiday. He watched with rapt attention as she fawned over each piece the girls showed her, before she offered to carry some of them so they could get going.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Hudson," she called.

He gave her a soft nod, held up the ornament before wishing her the same.

* * *

Rachel could feel his smirk burning through the back of her skull. She was trying really hard to keep it together as she sat in the living room amongst all of the gifts as Ayla continued to squeal over the things that Santa had brought her. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed, a cup of coffee in her hands. She was squeezing her fingers around the ceramic mug tighter and tighter as her eyes swept around the room. She had done the 'Santa' delivery last night, once the girls had been in bed for awhile and Brody was still out. He was never home lately, and part of her questioned it - but would never verbalize it - and part of her just didn't care, for the main fact that he meant he was out of her hair. But now, as she looked around the room, she realized that he must have added more gifts when he came back from wherever he was. She had bought the girls what she could, picking and choosing things from their lists that fit her budget which was very small this year. She had left off the bigger ticket items, the gifts like DVD players and a pair of roller blades that were too extravagant for Christmas and could perhaps wait for their birthdays. She had tried her best. But looking around the room now, it looked like he had taken it upon himself to do more.

What broke her heart the most, as she watched her girls tear through the gifts that were in front of them, was that she noticed not one of the gifts in the different wrapping paper were for Ione. She had selected a really pretty and Christmasy wrapping paper; light blue with snowflakes and Christmas trees. The extra gifts were wrapped in a gaudy red paper, with cartoon Santa's and reindeer. And all of them had Ayla's name scrawled on them in marker, in Brody's chicken scratch.

Brody seemed to sense that she had caught on and smirked even more as he passed Ayla another gift that was from him. In the time Ione had opened two of her six carefully selected gifts, Ayla had opened five. Two of which were from Rachel. Ayla squealed as she ripped off the paper to reveal a Baby Alive doll that had been on her list but Rachel had deemed it out of her price range for this year. She pasted a smile on her face as she watched Ayla light up and throw her arms around Brody briefly to thank him. She turned away from the action as her heart clenched. She looked over at Ione and saw her staring down at the small box that held a couple of books she had asked for. She fingered the top one while Rachel moved off the couch, reached over a few of the extra gifts to find one that had Ione's name on it. She sat back down on her bottom and passed the box to Ione before she leaned over to press a kiss to Ione's head.

"Thanks Mommy," she whispered as she began to gingerly tear at the paper. Rachel nodded along as she looked over to Ayla, who was grinning as she bounced on her bottom, waiting for Brody to liberate the doll from the box. She reached forward much in the same fashion that she had for Ione and dug out one of her gifts for Ayla.

"Here princess, why don't you open this one while Daddy works on your doll?" she offered.

"Thanks Mommy!" Ayla giggled as she bounced forward to grab it from her. She giddily tore the paper off the small box. Rachel took a sip of her coffee as she watched her open it. Inside the box was a small white jewelry box, with a dancing ballerina that twirled to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Ayla gasped when she opened it and the little ballerina started to dance. She had also found a really pretty necklace when she was shopping at Target that she knew Ayla would love. She was beginning to become really girly, and was constantly begging to wear some of Ione's jewelry. Ione almost always let her borrow something.

"Oh Mommy! It's just like Ione's!" Ayla giggled as she gingerly ran her finger over the painted wood. "Look Ione! Now we match!" She couldn't contain her giggles as she continued to look at the carefully painted box. "It's so pretty..."

"Did you see the necklace too baby?" Rachel smiled. "That's from Ione," she fibbed. Ione looked up from the sweater and tights set that she had just unwrapped. She gently nodded and went along with what Rachel said. She looked back down and instantly started to pull at a loose string on the sleeve of the sweater.

Ayla giggled and picked up the delicate necklace with a pretty butterfly pendant. "It's so pretty!" she smiled. "Thank you Mommy and Ione!"

Brody's gruff voice broke up the moment and caused Rachel to pause. "Here Ayla, your baby is ready..." He stuck out his hand with the doll and Ayla squealed again before she quickly shoved the jewelry box to the side to grab the moving, talking, life like doll from her father.

Rachel didn't miss the way that Ione retreated into herself and looked back at the books she had opened first. Rachel chewed her lip as she pushed down her desire to scream. Not today. Not on Christmas.

* * *

She just wanted to take a shower. Rachel pulled at her ponytail in frustration, tying the elastic tighter around her thick hair. She closed her eyes as she stood in the kitchen tossing the same coffee mug between her hands in the now cold, sudsy water. Brody had stomped off in the direction of the bathroom moments ago and had claimed the room with a slam of the door. A shriek from Ayla in the living room caused her to cringe, so much so that she placed the well soaked mug down in the empty sink before she moved to dry her hands on the hand towel.

The girls had had enough of each other. They had been at each others throats for the better part of the week, partially because they had been apartment bound for much of the week. Rachel had tried her best to get them out and about when she could, even if it was just a brief trip to the park at the adjoining apartment building. The weather had not worked much in her favour, a snow storm that had blasted through the city just after new years day had left a ton of snow and with only one set of outdoor wear for each child they couldn't exactly be outside all hours of every day.

And then there was Brody. He was in a permanent mood ever since Christmas, and it was beginning to get to be too much. She had tried hard through the week to placate him as much as she could, and she shivered against the memories of how she had let him once more have his way with her just to try and temper his demeanor.

She left the safety of the kitchen to find the girls bickering, over what was left to be determined. Rachel watched quietly from a few steps away as Ayla stomped her foot and pouted at Ione, who was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and dangling off the couch.

Rachel sighed audibly, which in turn made both the girls turn around to face her in an instant.  
"What is going on here?" she asked calmly. Her voice cracked as the words slipped out. She was tired from the week, and honestly couldn't wait for the girls to go back to school tomorrow. The air and atmosphere in the apartment was thick enough that she felt like it was weighing her down. It wasn't like Ione to fight back with Ayla, and they usually got along great. But since Christmas it was like something had snapped and it hurt Rachel to even think that Ione would now treat Ayla differently because of Brody, and vice versa. She had seen it in her eyes that day, that morning, when it seemed to click what was going on and Rachel's heart had broken over and over. She didn't have the ability to make it better, and it crushed her to think that Brody had now taken one more thing away from her first born - Christmas.

"She won't play dolls with me Mommy," Ayla stomped her foot as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm bored and I want her to play dolls."

Rachel sighed once more and looked over at Ione. "Ione?"

"I don't want to play dolls Mom," she sighed as she looked down at her hands. "I just want to watch Sound of Music," she mumbled.

Rachel bit her lip. She recognized the tone of annoyance in her voice. Ayla had been badgering Ione all week, and while she had given in most of the time Rachel understood that Ione sometimes wanted, and needed her own space.

"I don't want to watch Sound of Music, again Mommy," Ayla sighed with exasperation. "We watched it yesterday."

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it when she heard the bathroom door creak open. She needed to get the girls to a resolution before Brody stomped his way back into the room. His mood was awful and she wanted desperately to keep a tight lid on it. At least until the girls were in bed.

"What if you guys play something else? Ione, what would you be willing to do with your sister?" she asked with baited breath. She bit her lip as she watched the wheels turn for Ione as Ayla stared at her impatiently.

Ione shrugged after a moment, and allowed a sigh to escape her lips. "I don't know. We can play dolls I guess," she relented. Rachel wanted to roll her eyes but she forced herself to keep a soft smile on her lips. She knew Ione was just pacifying Ayla. It was what she did. "But can we have Sound of Music on the tv while we play?"

Rachel turned her attention to Ayla and waited with baited breath for her answer. It was the closest she was going to get to a compromise and she silently prayed Ayla would take it.

Ayla shrugged. "Okay."

Rachel allowed herself to let out a deep cleansing breath as she watched the girls run to their room to grab whatever they needed so they could play out in the living room. She smiled when they settled and headed back to the kitchen to rinse the dishes quickly so she could jump in the shower herself.

The bickering started not even moments after she had her hands under the water, rinsing the dishes. She was trying desperately not to run into the living room and solve the dispute, that seemed to be them arguing over a doll. It only took a few moments but the disagreement seemed to settle just in time for Brody to stomp his way through the living room and into the kitchen. He grunted as he passed her by to get to the fridge, searching for something. She did her best to ignore him as he stomped around and threw himself down into a chair at the table once he had gotten whatever he was looking for.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced slowly once she had finished with the dishes.

"I don't need a goddamn play by play Rachel," he snarled from the table. She flinched at the tone of his voice. She swallowed before she dropped the dishtowel she had been drying her hands with onto the counter before she turned to leave the room. She snuck through the living room and tried to go unnoticed by the brewing argument that was starting, again. She had to get the girls out today. She needed to do something because she couldn't take another day of this. She decided quickly as she ransacked through her dresser to find some clothes for the day that she would take a trip to the grocery store that wasn't too far away. She needed some things for lunches, and instead of waiting until after work tomorrow she was going to get them out of the house and go today.

She left the bedroom door open as she gathered an outfit and she cringed when she heard the telltale signs of Brody's chair scraping against the worn out floor of their kitchen. She could hear the girls voices get louder as she tried to find a clean long sleeved shirt. They were arguing over the doll Ayla had gotten for Christmas, the one that could eat and poop - the bane of her existence and the primary reason she had never hated her boyfriend more.

A hush fell over the apartment suddenly, followed by Ione shrieking at the top of her lungs. Rachel's heart hammered in her chest as she dropped the clothes she had been holding and rushed out of her bedroom. Her heart stopped when she skidded into the living room and saw Brody had his hand wrapped around Ione's forearm. She could tell by the grimace on Ione's face that the grip he had on her was tight, and she didn't even need to think about what would happen next.

"Don't touch her!" her voice came bubbling up in a growl as she launched herself at him, her eyes only saw red in that moment. Brody instantly dropped Ione's arm to brace himself for her impact. Rachel saw Ione cower away into the corner of the room, Ayla instantly went to her side.

Everything that happened next, happened in a blur. She hadn't had time to think it through, she just saw red the moment she saw Brody had Ione in his clutches. She could feel his hands on her biceps, as she caught the girls trying to escape the room out of the corner of her eye. Her breath hitched as she watched Ione rub her arm in the spot where Brody had clutched her, before she reached for Ayla's hand to tug her out of the room.

Rachel was brought back to the room, brought back to the moment as she felt Brody's hands travel up from her biceps and up to her shoulders. Her mind caught up to her ears as she felt him start to shake her shoulders, while he screamed in her face.

"Stupid fucking kids," he seethed as he continued to shake her shoulders violently. "Why did we even have them huh? All they do is bicker and fight," he screamed. His face changed for a moment as a smirk crossed his features. Rachel froze in his arms for a moment as he glared down at her, his eyes were dark and Rachel tried to take a deep breath. "And then there's the spoiled brat..." he continued as he began to shake her more in earnest. An instinct within her clicked and she began to shake in his arms as the grip on her shoulders tightened intensely. He shoved her up against the wall when she began to move and struggle against the way he had gripped her. His hands traveled towards her throat, and in that moment she could truly feel panic start to set in.

She started to hyperventilate because in that moment she was positive he was going to choke her. She could feel her body tremble as she stared at him, desperate to calm her racing breaths as his eyes burned into hers with an intent she couldn't quite distinguish. For the first time since the abuse started, she was truly scared of the man who now gripped the base of her neck. The malice and intent in his eyes was enough to snap her into focus. She started to panic as his hands seemed to grip more firmly around her neck as he continued to scream at her. She could feel her blood pumping and the panic rise in every inch of her body. She didn't want to move or twitch because she felt like if she even moved just the smallest of ways he would tighten the already firm grasp he had. She had to get him to let go, she could feel his thumb pressing firmly into the base of her throat and all at once her fight or flight instincts finally kicked in. She tried as hard as she could to collect as much saliva as she could in her mouth, and just as he gave her another burning smirk she launched it at him. She immediately regretted the action the split second after it happened. They stared at each other, his eyes were burning heavily into hers as they widened at the realization of what she had just done sunk it. He dropped his hands from her throat and she immediately gulped for breath as she tried to take in as much air as her body would allow. His hands had only been around her neck for mere seconds, but to Rachel it felt like it had been an eternity. But the fire in his eyes never left, and in the time it took her to take one more breath, Brody pulled back his right fist and punched her directly in the face.

She didn't move her face at first. The impact of his fist had left her left cheek flat against the wall. At first, all she could do was breathe; breathe because the pain radiating from her eye where his fist had made impact was almost too much to bear. She wanted nothing more in that moment but to cry, but she knew that even if she let a single tear fall he'll hurt her threefold.

Brody let her go moments later. Her face was still pressed against the wall, too afraid to move even the slightest inch. She clenched her eyes closed for a brief moment and winced invisibly as the pain in her right eye throbbed. Rachel opened them slowly at the sound of Brody stumbling over his feet. His eyes were almost black as he pointed his left pointer finger directly at her.

"You made me do this!" he screamed. "You made me do this you fucking bitch!"

She couldn't even get herself to blink, to flinch at his words. All she could think about was the pain in her eye, and what he could possibly want to do to her next. She watched with baited breath as he stumbled over his feet once more and hurried for the door. She clenched her hands as the door rattled behind him as it slammed and for the first time that morning the apartment was bathed in silence. When the rattling of the door settled Rachel finally allowed herself to sink to the floor, guided by her back until her bottom hit the carpet. She closed her eyes slowly and in that moment she finally allowed herself to release the sob she had desperately been holding in from the moment his fist connected with her face. Her head was pounding and she felt like she was honestly going to throw up, but she wasn't sure from what. The pain in her eye was almost a match for the pain that was radiating from her heart to her other extremities at the moment and she just wished in that moment that she could turn back time.

The sound of the girls creeping towards the living room broke her from her sobs for just a moment. She turned her head just in time to see both of them standing at the end of the hallway, protected by the wall. Both of their eyes were wide as they both stared at her; they both looked too terrified to move from their spots for fear that they would make a wrong move. Rachel's heart broke as she stared at them; and if she wasn't crying before she surely would have been in moments just by the look on Ione's face alone.

She attempted to find her voice in that moment, swallowing thickly before raising her arms to the girls. "It's okay girls," she whispered. "It's okay."

Rachel watched as both of the girls simultaneously bit their lips as they each stared at her. Ayla was the first one to respond, jumping forward and reaching Rachel before Ione left her perch on the wall. Rachel allowed Ayla to clamour onto her lap and she instantly wrapped her arm around her as Ayla curled into her. Ayla buried her head into the fabric of the sleep shirt Rachel was still wearing as she held out her open arm to Ione. It took her a few moments to come around. But when she did, Ione launched herself forward as sobs started to wrack the little girls body just as they started once more for Rachel.

"I'm sorry Mommy," she cried as she collapsed into Rachel's lap and buried her head in her neck. "I'm sorry Mommy. I'm so sorry." The sobs took over as she clutched Rachel's shirt in her fist. Rachel closed her eyes as she held both the girls in her arms and leaned her head back against the wall as her own sobs started to bubble forth faster.

Rachel decided right then and there that she had to try again. She stared down at the girls in her lap, Ayla was quietly sucking her thumb (something she hadn't done in years), while Ione quietly whimpered with a few mumbled words of I'm sorry leaving her lips as her eye throbbed to a level she has never felt in her life. She had to leave. Ione was shaking in her arms as she held her, and that was enough to push Rachel over the edge. She had always maintained that her kids were the line that no one should ever cross. Anything involving them was the last straw. As she moved her hand to rub Ione's back to help soothe her shaking, she grimaced when she noticed the slight bruise starting to form on Ione's arm. In that moment it was solidified, she needed to get up and leave. She couldn't let him touch Ione again. Brody could do whatever he wanted to her as long as her girls were safe.

She swallowed hard as she continued to look at them. Both of them were now staring up at her with wide eyes. She knows that she should be getting up to get ice for her eye, but she cannot bring herself to move from her position on the floor. Everything ached, from her eye down to her toes. In that moment she just felt compelled to touch them, make sure they were there, that they were safe. She raised both her hands and simultaneously ran her fingers through their hair, getting caught in the knots of Ayla's and letting her fingers run through Ione's. She took a deep shuddered breath as she looked down at them.

"I have an idea," she presented with shaky breath. Both Ione and Ayla were looking at her intently. She allowed another breath to pass her lips before she spoke again. "Let's go on an adventure."


	7. Chapter 6

Well hello! I am so so so sorry that this has taken so long. I really struggled with what I wanted to include in this chapter, but in the eleventh hour I prevailed. I apologize that this chapter is so incredibly long but everything that happens in this one will open up everything else for the rest of teh story. I promise.

Big big big thanks to Lauren for reading this what felt like a million times over the last few days. Couldn't do this without your input! Thanks to my mom for making sure it was all realistic and flowing. And thanks to Katie for her initial advice on how certain things in this chapter would go down.

Anyways - enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Six**  
The moment Ione stepped into the classroom, she felt like every one of her classmates turned to look at her. She clutched her books to her chest and turned her face toward the ground as she tried to get to her desk as quickly as she could. The rest of the classroom seemed to come alive in screaming decibels as she got comfortable in her seat. She dipped her head as she worked at stuffing her textbooks into her desk, and her hair fell out of the ponytail her Mom had hastily pulled it into before they left the motel room this morning. She bit her lip as she moved things around in her desk while her classmates continued to chat around her. Before she had left for Christmas break she had left a book in her desk, and as she waited for class to start she wanted to find it. She bit her lip a little harder as she continued to look for the small novel. It was a library book, and as she continued to look for it her mind started to race that she might have misplaced it. She didn't remember taking it home, and she didn't have it at the motel with her - she had only had time to grab one of the books her Mom had bought her for Christmas before they left in a hurry three days ago. She unconsciously pulled the sleeve of her purple long sleeved shirt down on her left arm as she continued to look for the book, sighing audibly with relief when her fingers finally touched the small spine of the novel at the back of her desk. She allowed herself to take a deep breath as she tossed the book on the desk. Her mom would have been so mad if she had lost it - lost library books meant fines, and having fines would upset her mom, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She dipped her head as she once again pulled at the sleeve of her shirt in an attempt to prevent anyone from seeing the bruises that lined the inside of her arm.

Ione nearly jumped out of her skin when one of her classmates bumped into her desk. Her head shot up and her eyes widened as the bigger boy laughed and continued on to his desk. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and twisted her thumbs together as she tried to get herself to settle. Her eyes fluttered back over to the clock and she sighed as she noticed that time had not gone any faster.

Her head shot back around when a hand reached out and knocked the book she had placed on her desk clear off the surface. Ione sucked in a breath as she watched the paperback skid across the ground and land a few steps away.  
"Pick it up, Ione," the voice sneered. She looked up to face the voice of her classmate, Annabelle. Ione dug her teeth into her lip as she forced herself to look at her. Her silence only seemed to spur the other girl on and she stepped forward and got in Ione's face. "I said pick it up Ione!" she yelled.

In a blink, Ione felt like she was transported to another place - another time that words eerily similar to those ones were uttered to her, but only in a more threatening manner.

"Nooo!" Ione screamed as every ounce of self restraint seemed to fade into the past. She stood up from her seat to face Annabelle with her fists clenched at her sides. She tried hard to fight the tears that seemed to be triggered by the outburst of emotion as she stood in front of the other girl.

"What are you going to do, Ione, cry?" Annabelle crooned. "Cry baby, cry," she laughed. Annabelle reached her hands out to push Ione back into her chair. But before the other girl had a chance to touch her, Ione stumbled backwards over her chair to cower away from the girls hands. In her mind, flashes of what happened three days ago seemed to instantly overtake her senses.

 _"No, that's my baby. You can have this one," Ayla smiled as she reached for an older doll from the few they had brought out to play with. "Only I get to play with Ruby," she grinned as she cuddled the new doll to her chest.  
"But I just want one turn with her," Ione tried. She just wanted to see what was so cool about the doll. She had seen the commercials on TV - she didn't need a long turn.  
"I said no Ione," Ayla whined.  
In that instant, Brody entered the living room from the kitchen and Ione immediately froze.  
"It's not your fucking toy Ione!" he roared. She immediately froze as he reached for her arm and closed her eyes when she felt his hand wrap around her arm._

"Don't touch me!" she cried as she fell back on to her bottom. She winced as tears immediately began to pique in the corners of her eyes and a few escaped. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked as the rest of the classroom began to laugh around her. She curled into herself and pulled her knees to her chest before she buried her face into her knees.

"What is going on in here?" Mr. Hudson's booming voice carried over the laughter Ione heard all around her. Her shoulders shook as she pulled her knees tighter into her body as a hush fell over the classroom. "Annabelle, what happened?" Ione flinched when Mr. Hudson asked the question and she allowed a sob to finally break from her lips as she curled her head further into her knees.

"She just dropped her book Mr. Hudson, I don't know..." Annabelle smiled.

"Everyone to your seats," Mr. Hudson called. "Find a book, silent reading..."

Ione flinched as she heard Mr. Hudson's footsteps come closer to her, and she attempted to propel herself further backwards, away from him. Her fingers shook as she gripped her forearms to keep her head buried.

"Ione, Ione, hey, it's okay." Ione didn't look up when Mr. Hudson crouched beside her. "Ione."

Her head shot up at the mention of her name, and her eyes widened when she saw Mr. Hudson reaching out to touch her arm.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked as she tried to move herself further away.

"Ione, Ione, it's okay," Mr. Hudson lowered his voice and kneeled down so that he was on his knees and held his hands up. "It's just me Ione, Mr. Hudson. Can you tell me what happened?"

She allowed a sob to escape her lips as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She pulled her knees in closer to her chest as her lip trembled. Ione squeezed her eyes closed. "Don't touch me," she blubbered as her hands trembled on her knees.

Finn tried to assess the situation as best and quickly as he could. He bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at Ione. She kept repeating 'don't touch me, don't touch me' under her breath as she squeezed her eyes tighter as he stared at her.

"Okay Ione, I won't touch you," he tried to reassure as he looked her over to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. He watched as her lip trembled. "I won't touch you. But how about we stand up and take a walk so you can calm down a little, okay?"

At the mention of getting up from her spot and taking a walk, another sob burst forward from Ione's lips. Finn took a step back to give her some space and the tears seemed to be coming faster as she stumbled to her feet. She hugged her body with her arms tight around her midsection and Finn couldn't help but notice the way she walked out to the hallway with her head hung down and her entire body shook from the sobs that seemed to reignite. She walked several steps ahead of him and with each step a sob wracked her body.

"Ione," he called. In just moments she had gotten several steps away from him, and he had to take a few long strides to meet her. "Ione, it's okay," he tried. "It's okay that you dropped your book..."  
A loud sob slipped from her lips, enough to cut Finn's sentence off. He watched as Ione seemed to pause and wrap her arms around her tighter. Finn stepped from beside her so that he was in front of her and instantly crouched so he was at her eye level. She didn't move at first, instead she seemed to clutch herself harder and continued to cry as if he wasn't even there.

"It's okay Ione," he tried again with a softer tone to his voice. "Let's go to the office so I can call your Mom then..." From what he knew about Ione, he knew she was close to her mother. That much was obvious.

"NO!" The word seemed to rip from her lips amidst sobs. "No! No! No!" her voice trembled as it grew louder. "Please don't call my mom Mr. Hudson!" She uncurled her arms from around her midsection and reached out to put her hands on his shoulders. "Please don't call her Mr. Hudson," she begged. "She'll be so mad...Mommy can't be mad at me it's been bad enough," she stammered as she pressed the palms of her hands to Finn's shoulders. "Please Mr. Hudson, I'll be better...see..." He watched as she tried to force a smile to her lips but Finn could tell that it was a struggle. Her eyes were dark and tear filled, her lips barely curved into a recognizable smile. "Please..."

"Ione," he paused to collect his thoughts before he reached up to take her hands off his shoulders. "Ione, it's okay. It's okay. Take a deep breath and..." His thought was halted when after he gently brought her hands down from his shoulders, the sight of a few small bruises that looked distinctly like finger prints on the inside of her arm caught his eye. Her shirt had ridden up in her haste to stop him and in a blink, it seemed like Ione caught on to what he saw. She immediately tried to pull down the sleeve of her shirt.

"Ione," Finn started quietly. He took a deep breath as he looked at her intently. "What happened?"

* * *

 _Three Days Ago..._  
Rachel could tell the girls were scared. As she walked into the small Holiday Inn she had found them, her own hands shook as she walked on unsteady legs towards the front desk. Ione clutched her right hand despite the tremors, while Ayla held the left in both of her small hands.

"I would like to rent a room please," she spoke with a quiet voice. The grip the girls held on her hands tightened as the words slipped out, and she knew it was because they were frightened. She may have done this before, but there was something different about this run, this escape, this adventure. Her sunglasses hid her eyes and the swelling bruise from prying eyes. Her bruise stung and as the clerk behind the desk took her time in finding them an open room with two double beds Rachel felt herself becoming impatient. She continuously looked over her shoulder as the clerk moved to get her key and the final paper work. She was afraid that she had chosen a place too close to home, that Brody would find them faster than ever. Rachel didn't have too many choices in location because she still had to work and still had to get the girls to school at some point. She just prayed she was far away enough that she would at least get to breathe for a few days.

She didn't breathe until she had safely ushered the girls into the motel room and closed it behind them with the locks firmly in place. Rachel leaned her tired, achy body against the door and closed her eyes. She let out a long breath for a moment as the realization that she had done it, she had gotten them out. Rachel slowly reached up and peeled the sunglasses away from her face now that she was safely in the room and dropped them on the small desk beside her. With the glasses off she could see the girls clearly, starring at her from the places which they had perched themselves. Their eyes said it all to her. Both of them were watching her with wide, tear filled eyes. She didn't miss the way their eyes had darkened, the fear that lingered there. Sure, she had done this before, they had all done this before. But it had never started like this, never felt like this. She closed her eyes against their stares for just a moment and tried to take a deep breath. When she opened them, their eyes were still intently on her.

"I'm going to just..." she swallowed hard."I'm just going to go to the washroom, alright? Why don't you guys choose which bed you want and then find something on tv?" she pasted a small smile on her lips before she turned to the bathroom. Neither of the girls said anything while she retreated to the bathroom. Rachel released another breath once she closed the door behind her. She dropped her hands down on the small vanity that was in front of the mirror. She slowly lifted her head and caught her reflection in the mirror. The sight of her rapidly bruising eye caused her hands to shake on the vanity and she gripped the edge of the small surface. It took her a moment to gently reach one of her hands up to slowly touch the swelling that was occurring at a rapid rate. She winced when she touched a particularly tender spot directly underneath her eye. There was no way she had brought enough makeup to cover this, she thought as she moved her hand away and sighed. She knew from the past that she had probably missed the window of opportunity for applying ice to help with the swelling. But she reached for a facecloth to the left of her anyway and turned on the tap so it was as cold as possible. She winced when she applied the cold cloth to her eye. Once she grew accustomed to the pressure and feeling of the cloth on her eye Rachel carefully moved over to the toilet and sat down so she could rest her head in her hands that she rested on her elbows.

In that moment, panic started to seep into the very fiber of her being. The longer she sat on the toilet, the easier it was for her to fall prey to her swirling thoughts that were just beginning. What had she done? What should she do now? How was she going to keep the girls safe? How long would it be until Brody found her again? She began to hyperventilate as the thoughts and feelings began to swarm faster and faster.

A soft knock at the door broke her speeding train of thought. She sucked in a breath to clear the lump that had formed before she answered.

"Yes sweetheart?" she called before clearing her throat once more.

"I have to pee Mommy," Ayla's voice broke through the bathroom door and pushed her out of her thoughts completely.

"Oh. Yeah. Okay," Rachel stammered as she stood up from the toilet and removed the wet cloth from her eye. She dropped it on the counter before heading to the door and letting Ayla in. "Sorry sweetheart." She rubbed her hand along Ayla's head as she walked passed her into the bathroom. Rachel stopped at the side of the bed Ione had curled herself on. Rachel didn't hesitate to crawl onto the bed beside her, but sighed when she saw Ione flinch when she placed her hand on her back.

"It's just me sweetheart," she murmured as she leaned over to place a kiss on the back of her head. She retreated into her spot of her bed for a moment as she waited to see what Ione would do.

Ione rolled over slowly until she was flat on her back. When she did so, the tears that were rolling down her cheeks and the tremble in her chin became evident.

"Ione," she whispered with a crack in her voice.

Rachel reached forward and wrapped her arms around Ione just as the toilet flushed in the bathroom behind her. Rachel pulled her into her chest and Ione wrapped her arms around her midsection, taking the shirt she was wearing between her fingers. Rachel sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead as she ran her fingers through Ione's messy hair.

"I'm sorry Mommy," she whimpered as she clutched her tighter and her tears started to fall faster.

"You have nothing to be sorry for baby, nothing," she soothed as she pressed another kiss to her head.

"But..." she stammered. Ione unclenched her fingers from around Rachel's shirt and raised a shaky hand to hover just by her eye. "Mommy...your eye..."

"Ione, that is not your fault..."

"But..." she stammered again as her eyes fell and she looked down at her fingers. "Brody he..."

"What happened between me and Brody was not your fault baby girl. It was not your fault. I promise," she paused to push her back from her chest enough so that she could see her eyes. "And what happens when Mommy promises?" Rachel gently touched Ione's chin with her pointer finger and forced her to look up at her.

"It always comes true," Ione whispered. Rachel allowed a small smile to pique on her lips as Ione dove back into her.

The bathroom door creaked open and Ayla quietly tiptoed out of the bathroom before coming to slowly crawl up the bed on the other side of Rachel. She curled up to her and laid her head on Rachel's shoulder before Rachel moved her arm to pull her into the group cuddle.

"Mommy, are we going to go to school tomorrow?" Ayla asked quietly.

Rachel looked down at Ayla as she stared back at her with wide eyes. Rachel ran her finger over Ayla's cheek as she cuddled into her, waiting for the answer to her question.

"I think we're all going to have an extra holiday tomorrow, what do you think?" she smiled carefully down at the girls."Does that sound good?"

"Will Daddy find us at school, is that why?" Ayla asked quietly after a few quiet beats had passed between the three of them.

"Brody always finds us," Ione mumbled so quietly that only Rachel could hear her.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. She leaned her head back on the headboard and closed her eyes for a brief moment to try and formulate an answer. But she didn't have one. Ione was right. Brody always found them. And that's what scared her the most.

"How about we rent a movie?" she asked quietly once she reopened her eyes. She wanted to take the girls mind off what was going on and give herself time to put a plan together. "And order a pizza, or something, how does that sound?" 

* * *

Somehow all of them had ended up in one bed. When Rachel woke up with a start in the middle of the night, her face was throbbing and her body was aching from everything that had happened yesterday. Both Ione and Ayla were curled on either of her sides. She took several deep breaths as she looked down at each of them sleeping peacefully, Ayla's head was splayed on her stomach while Ione had curled her body along her right side with her legs caging one of Rachel's. She attempted to move ever so slightly, but both girls seemed to have her under a tight hold. She breathed deeply as she rested her head back on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly to try and calm her racing heart.

"Mommy?" Ione's voice caught her off guard, and she shifted her leg so that it wasn't caging her so tightly.

"It's early sweetheart, go back to sleep..." Rachel whispered.

"Are you okay Mommy?" Ione asked with a yawn.

"I'm just fine sweetheart," she managed as a lump started to form in her throat.

Ione settled against her side of the pillow once more and yawned before speaking. "Are we going to be okay Mommy?"  
Rachel looked down at her through her own sleep laden eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat one more time.

"We're always okay sweetheart." 

* * *

She didn't want to leave the motel at all the next day. Rachel woke up to the sounds of the girls arguing back and forth over what channel to change the TV, and she groaned as she pulled her tired body up further on the bed. Rachel blinked against the sunlight that was streaming through the cheap curtains. As soon as the girls noticed that she was awake the fighting seemed to stop almost immediately. Ione immediately passed the remote to Ayla and dropped her eyes for a second before she slid her bottom to the edge of the mattress.

"Do you need me to get you a cloth for your eye Mommy?"she asked quietly.

"Mommy, your phone keeps ringing. I was going to answer it but Ione said not to..." Ayla inserted.

Rachel sighed and gently raised her hands to rub her temple, wincing when the palm of her hand ghosted over her still painful bruise.

"I don't need a cloth Ione," she started carefully. "Thank you though sweetheart. And Ayla, Ione was right..."

Ayla shrugged as she turned her attention back to the tv. "I think one of the calls was the school Mommy. They probably want to know why we're on vacation still."

Rachel's eyes widened for a moment before leaning over to reach for her cell phone that she had left on the side table.  
 _18 missed calls.  
30 text messages. _  
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before clicking on the display that would show her who had called. 17 calls from Brody. 1 call from the girls school. She would have to report them absent, and then she was turning her phone off. 

* * *

_Present..._

Ione kept her head down, and her hands in her lap. The tears were steadily falling down her cheeks and every time one landed on the skin of her hand she tentatively used her thumb to rub the wet spots into her skin. Mr. Hudson had left her a few minutes ago to go back to the classroom, and for the first time in awhile she was alone. She lifted her head only for a moment to look around the room, Mrs. Galvin's office, and she immediately turned her head back to her lap as she heard the door that was behind her open with a creak and close gently with a click. She squeezed her hands tighter as footsteps travelled around her and came around to the other side of Mrs. Galvin's desk. But the woman who sat down in front of her wasn't Mrs. Galvin. She was a woman that she didn't recognize. She instantly felt herself tighten her hands in her lap once more and hunched her shoulders so that her gaze was fixed directly on her hands.

"Hi Ione," the woman smiled gently. She heard the woman put something down on the desk between them. "My name is Miss Sharpe, and this is my friend Officer Andrew," she paused. Ione didn't see, but Ione knew she was referring to the second set of footsteps that had followed her in. "I have a few questions to ask you, is that okay?"

Ione didn't look up, kept her gaze directly on her hands.

"Did you have a nice Christmas, Ione?" Miss Sharpe started. Ione could feel the woman in front of her staring at her, maybe even the Officer was too. She always knew when someone was staring. But she didn't want to look up. Because if she looked up, the woman would see her tears. If the woman saw her tears she would question her, know there was something wrong. Brody told her she was to never tell - never say anything was wrong, tell them what he did. She twisted her hands in her lap as she felt Miss Sharpe staring at her, probably to get her to look up at her. Ione bit the inside of her cheek as she continued to look down at her hands.  
"Ione, can you tell me what happened in the classroom?" Miss Sharpe tried. "Can you tell me why you dropped your book?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she loosened her fingers just a bit, and started to pick at her finger nails.

"Ione, it's okay - you can talk to me," Miss Sharpe's voice dropped an octave. "You're safe here..."

"I didn't drop my book," she mumbled with her eyes still intently focused on her hands. "Annabelle did."

"Did it make you mad when Annabelle dropped it?" Miss Sharpe asked softly.

Ione nodded once more.

"Mr. Hudson told me it really made you upset," Miss Sharpe offered softly. "Do you get upset a lot Ione?"

Ione shrugged her shoulders and raised her hand to wipe at a tear that started to roll down her cheek. She sniffled a bit.

"Brody does," she mumbled as she brought the palm of her hand to her chin and rubbed where the water had dried on her skin from moments before.

"Brody does what, sweetheart?" Miss Sharpe urged.

"Gets upset sometimes," she mumbled. She sniffled once more and raised her head slightly to look at Miss Sharpe through the pieces of hair that had fallen in her face. The woman in front of her was pretty, with blonde hair and a kind smile. Ione twitched in her seat as she tried to decide in one look if she could trust the woman in front of her. She had already said too much, telling Miss Sharpe that Brody got upset sometimes.

"I should really go," she whispered. "I should tell Annabelle I'm sorry for crying...I'm sure she didn't mean to knock my book over." Her words tumbled from her lips. "I got too upset and I should go tell her that it's fine, it's just a book..." she sighed. She lifted her hand to push her hair back, causing her sleeve to slide back as she did so. She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"That looks like it hurts," Miss Sharpe commented softly. "How did that happen?"

Ione tensed and immediately dropped her arm down, pulling quickly at her sleeve to hide the bruises. She crossed her arms over her chest with her hand gripping where Brody had grabbed her a few days ago.

"Ione?" Miss Sharpe asked softly. "What happened to your arm?"

"I want my mom," Ione whispered as her lip trembled and she pulled her knees up so her feet rested on the lip of the chair."Can you call my mom please?" She sunk further into herself. "Mr. Hudson said he was going to call my mom but I didn't want him to. Now I want him to." She looked up from staring at her arms. "Please."

"We'll call your Mom. But I need you talk to me sweetheart and tell me about the bruises on your arm..."

Ione brought her eyes up to look across at Miss Sharpe. "They look like they hurt..." Ione absently rubbed the healing bruises.

She stared at Miss Sharpe quietly for a few minutes. She looked down at her hands once more before looking back at Miss Sharpe. "Brody did it." She instantly clasped her hands over her mouth. She forgot about covering the bruise, the words that had just slipped out of her mouth were far more embarrassing than any bruise. Brody was going to be so mad at her if and when she saw him next. Brody was going to be so mad at Mom. The tears welled in her eyes as she let out a few shaky and shallow breaths. Miss Sharpe held out a tissue that Ione reached forward to take. "But he didn't mean it!" she gasped. "I was arguing with Ayla and it was my fault!" Her voice shook as she looked at Miss Sharpe. "I just wanted to play with the doll." She dropped her eyes. "It's all my fault."

"Ione..." Miss Sharpe started. "It's not your fault," she paused. "Can you tell me what Brody did?"

Ione froze with the tissue in her hands. She swallowed hard as she brought her eyes up to look at Miss Sharpe. Her lip trembled as she looked at her. Her silence said everything. __

* * *

__Rachel could feel Jessica's eyes on the back of her head as she wiped down the last table in her station. She felt uncomfortable with the attention she was being given, and to be honest she just wanted to go home. She stood straight up and wiped under her nose with the wrist of her arm. Jessica had been on her case all day. From the moment she had stepped into the diner with the black eye that had taken her an hour to cover even just a little bit, Jessica had peppered her with questions. Three days away from Brody and she still felt jumpy, felt like she had to look over her shoulder. It had taken all she could to send the girls to school today. But she couldn't afford to stay at the motel without making money, and she didn't want an extended absence for the girls to arouse any suspicion. As the clock had ticked the last three days Ione had grown clingy and moody while Ayla had seemed to adjust to their temporary new normal. She moved to the next table and leaned over to clean it off as well while Jessica continued to watch her. Rachel knew Jessica didn't believe her story; she had told her she had ran into the corner of her cupboards, but she continued to try and keep up the facade. She just had to get through the next few hours, she would pick up the girls and some dinner and be back in the safety of her motel room. She could see the finish line, see the end of her day and she couldn't wait to get there.

She hated having to look over her shoulder. Every time the small bell dinged above the door, she jumped. Every time the door opened she feared it would be Brody, coming to take her back to the apartment to unleash his anger on her. She was afraid he would have the girls, she was afraid - after Sunday - that he would hurt Ione the most. She shivered as she continued to wipe the table while Jessica finally left her alone to go and serve the customers who had just come in.

"Um, Rachel?" she sighed as she dropped the cloth on the table. Rachel turned around to find Jessica standing behind her, joined by another man and woman dressed in what looked to her to be professional clothing. She clasped both hands at her waist as she looked at the trio.

She started to open her mouth to ask what was going on when the older man in front of her beat her to it. "Rachel Berry?"

"Yeah, that's...that's me," she started. "I'm Rachel..." She twisted her hands at her waist as she looked at the two people.

"I'm Mr. Raymond and this is Miss Sharpe, we're with Child Protective Services," the older man in front of her reached for the lanyard that hung around his neck and picked up the laminated card at the end. Rachel felt her features pale as she stood in place. She squeezed her hands together as they grew clammy. She tried to keep her breathing even as she waited for what they would say next. They both held a hand out for her to shake, and it took all of her might to extend her hand to shake each of them. Her mind was running rampant as she stayed silent, her heart racing in her chest as Miss Sharpe cleared her throat.

"Is there somewhere we can talk, in private?" Miss Sharpe questioned. "We have a few things we would like to ask you..." __

She clasped her hands once more at her waist again, using her thumb to hook in the apron that was around her waist. "I...um...okay..."

"You can use the back office Rachel," Trevor, who had come out from the kitchen to see what the commotion was about. "I'll watch your station."

She could only nod, her hands shaking within her grasp. Both Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe were looking at her expectantly before she turned on her heel to show them to the back office. She bit the inside of her cheek as she walked into the room and sat down on one of the chairs that was inside. Both Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe took their places on the other side of the desk.  
Rachel took a few deep breaths as she folded and unfolded her hands in her lap. Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe settled on the other side, and Mr. Raymond pulled out a folder from a bag she hadn't realized he had been carrying.

"As we said before, we're from Child Protective Services, Miss Berry," Mr. Raymond paused. "And we're here because of an anonymous call we received this morning."

She felt all the breath leave her body in that moment, along with the immediately feeling that she was going to vomit. Rachel crossed her arms over her stomach and dug her fingers into the sides of her uniform. She swallowed hard and barely nodded as she waited for them to continue.

"Are my girls okay?" Rachel whispered.

Miss Sharpe looked over at Mr. Raymond and opened the file folder in front of her, reaching for the notebook that was inside.

"We have some concerns about your daughter, Ione. We were called to the school this morning as a result of an outburst she had been involved in. During the situation, some bruises on the inside of her arm that are consistent with finger prints were discovered. Now upon speaking to I..."

"You spoke to my daughter?" Rachel suddenly found her voice. "Is she okay? I need to go...I need to go get her..." She unwrapped her arms from around her midsection and moved to push herself off the chair.

"She's okay, now," Miss Sharpe started. "I spoke with her about the bruises on her arm and we have some questions about where they came from. What is your relationship to Brody Weston?"

Rachel felt her blood run cold at the mention of her boyfriend's name. She clutched her hands tighter as she steeled herself to answer the question. "He's my boyfriend. And my younger daughter, Ayla's biological father."

"We have to ask you about how Ione acquired the bruises along her arm," Miss Sharpe asked.

Rachel opened her mouth and closed it several times over. Her heart was pounding in her chest because she didn't know what Ione would have said. She stared at the two professionals who were staring at her with their gazes that were void of emotion, their lips each set in a fine line, as she tried to determine what to say. She knew if Ione was scared enough, she might break - tell the truth. But Ione was usually quiet, reserved, slow to trust and warm up. So she might have lied, covered it up.

"Miss Berry?" Mr. Raymond interrupted her thoughts. "The bruises?"

"Oh. Um. The girls had been playing together and fighting over a doll," she paused to clear her throat, trying to remember what she had learned over the last three days in broken fragments from the girls. She twisted her hands to try and help her clear out her thoughts. "I didn't see what happened, I had been getting ready for the day back in the bedroom."

"Ione told me, and other employees of the school that it was Mr. Weston who had put his hands on her and caused the bruises," Miss Sharpe stated. Rachel squeezed her hands tighter, trying to focus her eyes anywhere but on the two professionals in front of her.

Mr. Raymond interrupted. "Miss Berry, are you sure you didn't hear anything, see anything?"

She twitched under his stare and tried to find something in the room to focus her glance on. When she brought her glance back to the two others in front of her, she found them both staring at her intently. The attention from Miss Sharpe didn't bother her, she was used to the pitying glances she received from women - she had been getting them since she had Ione 9 years ago. But the stare she was getting from Mr. Raymond was making her uncomfortable. She looked down at her hands to avoid his eyes and his judgemental stare.

"I didn't see anything," she whispered while looking down. "I told you I didn't see anything, I just heard them arguing over a doll. Can I go see my girls please? It's almost pick up time and I have to get there..."

"Miss Berry, if you need help - if you need us to help you with resources or..." Miss Sharpe offered while Mr. Raymond stared.

The features of her face crumpled and she tried to keep herself from tearing up. They couldn't know, could they? She raised her head and looked over at them with her lip between her teeth.

She took a deep breath to steady her emotions that were bubbling, that she was so desperate to keep down. "I'm fine..." she started slowly. "We're fine...they were just playing and things happened and...the girls are fine..." her lip trembled. "I need to get to my girls before..."

"Before what Miss Berry?" Mr. Raymond prodded.

"Before dismissal...they don't like to wait and I have to get them..." she stammered. "I promised them dinner at the restaurant by the Holiday Inn," she stuttered over her words as she tried to make eye contact with Miss Sharpe. She still avoided 's gaze.

He leaned forward, placing his arms on the desk with his elbows resting on the edge. "What happened to your eye Miss Berry?"

Her hand shot up to touch where she had layered the foundation on under her eye this morning. The swelling had gone down in the last three days but even she knew the foundation hadn't done a great job to cover the bruising that was still prevalent under her eye.

"I...I walked into an open cabinet the other day. I'm pretty clumsy," she sighed. "Now can I go?" her leg began to bounce as her eyes caught the clock that was resting on the wall behind them. "They're going to be waiting..."

Both Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe looked at her. Miss Sharpe had long since put down the pen she had been using to furiously write down notes, surely she was taking down everything Rachel said. She blew out a breath as she crossed her arms over her stomach once again. Mr. Raymond reached into the pocket of the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a business sized card. He pressed it to the desk in front of him and pushed it towards her with her with two fingers. She reached forward and took the card, folded it and held it in the palm of her hand.

"Can I go please?" she asked quietly.

Both Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe stood up from where they were sitting on the other side of the desk, and in that moment Rachel assumed her request had been accepted. She followed suit and watched as they packed up their thing before the three of them moved to the door.

"I know it's scary Miss Berry," Miss Sharpe offered. "But we're just trying to help."

Rachel pasted on a smile as she followed the couple out of the small office.

"I'm fine. We're fine."

"We'll be in touch," Mr. Raymond promised.

They shook hands before they proceeded to move through the restaurant while Rachel stayed back by the office. She hunched over at the waist and grasped her knees as she took a deep gulping breath. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute as she tried to wrap her head around what had just happened, the information they had just learned. She stood up straight and leaned against the wall that was just outside the office. She closed her eyes as she tried to take several deep breaths. Someone had called Child Protective Services on her. Someone at the school had called Child Protective Services. She started to hyperventilate as the thoughts started to swirl faster and faster. Someone had called, they had talked to Ione and she could only assume they talked to Ayla too. She took a large gulp of air as she leaned back over and the tears started to form. She needed a plan. If they had talked to Brody - like she could only assume they had - he would be on alert. She was sure he would be looking for them now. If they had grilled her, and the trembling in her hands and the way she felt sick to her stomach - she could only imagine what they had done and said to him. Her heart started to race as she stood up straight again and began to head back to the kitchen which led to the small coat room where she had dumped her belongings when she had come in.

"What was that all about?" Jessica asked from where she was sitting in the small coat room on her phone. Rachel ignored the question and the looks she was getting from her co-worker. "Where's the fire?"

"I have to go," she stammered. "I just have to go get the girls."

She grabbed her bag and rushed for the door, yelling to Trevor that she was leaving as she went. Jessica could cover for the waitresses that always took a long time to get on shift.

Rachel ran the entire way to the school. 

* * *

Ione twisted her hands over and over as she walked down the hallway with Ayla at her side. Ayla chatted about her day quietly and Ione desperately tried to tune her out. Her own head was flooded with thoughts and she could feel the tears burning in her eyes as they approached the foyer of the school that would lead them out to the yard. She'd kept strong all day, after the nice lady and the police officer had left her alone. Her mom was going to be so upset that she had told the lady Brody had grabbed her - she hoped an apology would be enough. Her hands twisted more as they approached the bench they always stayed on and Ione was left with a question. Mom had promised to be here on time, so where was she? Should they wait in here? Wait in the playground? She didn't want to do the wrong thing because Mom was already going to be so mad.

"Look Ione! It's Daddy!" Ayla squealed as she jumped a little bit up on her toes. Ione froze in place as the door to the school opened in front of them and Brody stomped in.

* * *

Finn watched from where he stood at the door of his classroom as the girls slowly and quietly made their way down the hallway. He didn't miss how Ione had lingered in the classroom, collecting her belongings and making sure all the while to keep the sleeve of her shirt pulled down. He watched as Ayla herself hunched beside her, still talking, but not nearly as loud or exuberantly as she did before the break. When Ione had returned to the classroom Finn had noticed how she had retreated into herself. He had moved Annabelle's desk away from Ione's while she had been in the office, but it seemed like it hadn't mattered. Ione didn't raise her hand, didn't speak, didn't leave the classroom to go to the washroom. He kept his eye on her throughout the duration of the day and he felt deflated as he watched any progress they had made before the break disintegrate. He blew out a breath as he wordlessly tried to reassure himself that he had done the right thing. He walked back into the classroom to grab his briefcase but still kept his door and ears open.

He finished grabbing his stuff and walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. He turned around just in time to watch Ione's younger sister run into the arms of a man he didn't recognize. Finn instantly picked up his footsteps to get closer. 

* * *

Rachel pushed her feet to move faster the moment the school came into her direct line of vision. Her breath puffed from between her lips as she scanned the few kids that were still lingering in the small playground. When she didn't spot either Ione or Ayla her heart began to pound in her chest, but she tried to keep herself calm. She reminded herself that her kids usually waited inside because more often than not she was late, and Ione herself hated to be cold. She willed herself not to go charging into the school, telling herself that she was going to just find them on the bench in front of the office like always, even though she was on time today. But it did nothing to quell her racing thoughts or pounding heart. She walked up the stairs and tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath as she reached for the handle of the door.

But any sense of calm dropped to the very depths of her stomach as she found the girls - Ione standing beside the bench twisting her hands and Ayla wrapped in Brody's arms. All the air sucked from her lungs in that moment as she watched still from a sizable distance. She felt the breath knock out of her as Ione collided with her stomach and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.

"Hi sweetheart," she mumbled as she found her voice. In response, Ione buried her head into Rachel's stomach and clutched her arms around her tighter. Rachel lifted her hand to run through Ione's messy hair. She pulled her face from her stomach and looked up at her. Rachel immediately tuned into how Ione was looking at her. A lump formed in her throat as she looked down at Ione and caught the dark, haunted look in her eyes. She also saw the fear - that she couldn't quite place. "I love you sweetheart," she whispered as she pushed her bangs back from her eyes. Ione gave her a brief, weak smile as she cuddled into Rachel for a brief moment. When she blinked back up at her the dark look had returned, not as intently but it had returned. Her heart sank as she looked down at her before her attention was drawn away before she could say anything else. They took a few steps forward to get closer to where Ayla was giggling with Brody.

"Mommy!" Ayla squealed. "Daddy says we're going home today!" she laughed. "And he said we can have pizza for dinner with soda!"

Rachel felt Ione clench her arms around her in that moment at the mention of going home. She rubbed a spot on the top of Ione's head as she raised her eyes to find Brody staring at her. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the way he was staring at her. She turned her gaze away from him when she felt the stare become too intense. She took several deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart before turning back to look at Brody and Ayla.

She frowned as she caught the way Brody was acting around Ayla, but smiled softly when she saw the way Ayla threw her head back as Brody tickled her sides. Even through her coat he managed to coax full belly laughs from the little girl - something she hadn't heard in the last few days. She frowned again when she felt Ione move against her, pulling her arms from around her waist and moving away.

"Can we go now?" Ayla giggled once Brody had let up on the tickling and Ayla had climbed on his back. "I really want that pizza..."

"Okay, okay, let's hit the road then!" Brody grinned. "What do you say Mommy?"

Rachel froze when Brody turned to her. He extended his hand to her and she hesitated for a second. But with Ayla looking down at her with a grin on her face she hadn't seen in days, Ione clinging to her other side - she felt like she had no choice but to take his hand. She winced internally when he squeezed her hand tighter before they headed out of the school. 

* * *

They sat in silence. The only sound that filled the tiny kitchen was the slapping of the spoons against the bowls. Brody had heaped the whipped cream, sprinkles and cherries on top of both Ione and Ayla's scoops of ice cream. Brody had filled their bowls to the top and Ayla already had it all over her face. Ione on the other hand was picking at the bowl full of chocolate and whipped cream, turning her spoon around through the quickly melting ice cream.

"Do you want a different flavour Ione?" Brody asked as he licked his lips. "I bought Strawberry too - would that be better?"

Ione's head shot up as her name left Brody's lips.

"No, it's fine. This is fine," she slipped her spoon under a melting scoop of the treat and brought it up to her mouth. She forced a smile to her lips as she swallowed the mixture.

Rachel took a scoop of her own ice cream as she watched Ione take another bite of hers.

"I'm all done, can I go read now?" Ione asked quietly after a few more bites. The remaining mixture in the bowl was a mix of the whipped cream and melted ice cream that was hard to pick up without a straw.

"Of course sweetheart," Rachel smiled as she passed her a napkin that she had put in the middle of the table. "Wipe your face, you have a little bit of ice cream on your chin."  
Ione quickly jumped off the chair after doing so and took her bowl to the sink. Rachel watched her move quickly to the sink before she retreated to the bedroom.

She turned her attention back to the table when Ayla called her name.

"Sorry sweetheart, yes?" she answered.

"I just wanted to tell you I like the cherries," she giggled. "Daddy, do you like cherries?"

"I love the cherries," Brody winked. "I think Mommy does too."

Rachel nodded slowly and placed a calm smile on her face.

When they were finished, Rachel sent Ayla off to get ready for bed while she cleared off the table and washed the dishes. She calmly washed the dishes as she kept herself on high alert. Rachel heard the distinct sound of Ayla jumping off her bed and her feet skipping back towards the living room. She wanted to call out not to jump on her bed, but as she listened to Ayla laugh again as she came into contact with Brody she decided against it. A comfortable calm had descended upon the apartment in the time since they had been home, and she was on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop. Brody had been uncharacteristically kind to both her and Ione since he had caught up to them at the school. He had even carried the bags back to the apartment. An unusual air of calm surrounded them. She felt like every one of her nerves, every one of her senses was heightened as she listened to the girls, listened to Brody and just waited.  
Because she knew it was coming. It was always coming.  
She dried her hands on the dishtowel that was hanging from the door of the fridge. She was just about to go and check on Ione in the bedroom and tell her to start getting ready for bed when a knock sounded at the door. She froze immediately at the sound against the old wooden door.

"I'll get it!" Ayla squealed as she slid off the couch from where she was perched beside Brody. Rachel felt rooted to where she stood between the kitchen and the living room. She snapped out of her daze when she heard Ayla struggling to reach for the deadbolt that was just a touch out of her reach. Rachel crossed the small space to the door while Brody continued to sit on the couch with his attention focused completely on the TV in front of him.

"Ayla, back up please..." she whispered as the person on the other side knocked once more. "I'm coming!" She gently pushed her out of the way while she reached for the handle. When she finally got the door open, she felt herself swallow hard when she found both Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond on the other side of the door.

"Good evening Miss Berry," Mr. Raymond smiled. "May we come in?"

She slowly nodded and moved aside to open the door wider.

"Babe? Rach, who's at the door?" Rachel clutched the handle of the door on the inside of the apartment as she heard Brody stand up from the couch and start towards the front door.

She felt him place his hands on her hips and she waited for the dig of his finger tips that never came.

"Mr. Weston, may we come in?"

"Of course, " Brody tugged her out of the way to allow the two CPS workers to come in. He moved his arm to be firmly around her waist as the two of them stepped inside.

"Mommy, that's the lady I talked to at school today!" she grinned. "Daddy, she was really nice!" she giggled.

"As part of our investigation Miss Berry and Mr. Weston, we are required by law to make unannounced home visits to check in. Do you mind if we take a look around?" Mr. Raymond spoke authoritatively. He always waited until they gained entrance to the home before stating what they were there for - it was harder for the intended being investigated to say no.

"Mommy, what's an investigation?" Ayla asked as she looked up at Rachel. She turned her head to look at Brody briefly. "Daddy?"

"Ayla, why don't you show Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond around? Can you do that for Mommy?" Rachel looked down at her intently, ignoring the obvious question that still hung in the air. Brody pulled her closer to him, the grip on her hip tightening even just slightly. She used her fingers to push back Ayla's hair.

Ayla nodded enthusiastically as she clasped her hands in front of her at her waist. "Okay!" she giggled. "We can start in my room! Let me show you." She turned on her toes and skipped towards the bedrooms. But Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond stopped on the way to look in the living room. Both Rachel and Brody watched as they poked around the living room.

Rachel held her breath as she stood there, watching them study the pictures on the wall before turning to the TV to analyze the movies that were stacked in one of the cabinets. She felt Brody let go of her waist and move around her to where the two professionals were standing. Mr. Raymond held the photo that had been framed and sitting on top of the TV in his hand. It was a picture of Rachel and the girls, taken before the move - in a calm period. She had taken them to Central Park and they had taken a picture together on a park bench with the sun shining behind them. Brody had been at work - but now that she thought about it - she didn't really know about that anymore. It was her favourite picture.

"You found my favourite picture, Mr. Raymond," Brody smiled as he came to stand beside the taller, older man. "That was a great day, wasn't it Rach?" he narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "We went to Central Park and we had gone to the Farmer's Market and the girls had gotten some kettle corn," he rambled.

"No we didn't!" Ayla giggled as she flounced into the room. "We got cotton candy that day Daddy!"

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. Neither was true. That day they hadn't bought anything, hadn't even gone to the farmers market that was there. He had taken her cash that morning so she had had nothing to spend. She wasn't sure where Ayla was getting her information from. They had gotten cotton candy before at the Farmer's Market with Brody so she was certain that's what she was thinking of. But that particular day? He hadn't come along.

"Now can I show them my room? I want them to see Ruby!" Ayla exclaimed as she grabbed for Brody's hand.

"Okay, okay," Brody laughed. But Mr. Raymond and Miss Sharpe remained still for a moment, absorbing the interaction between father and daughter. Mr. Raymond put the picture frame down before taking a step forward.

Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond followed Ayla down the short hallway, stopping along the way to push at the door across the way that was ajar.

"That's Mommy and Daddy's room. I'm not allowed in there," Ayla announced before she wrapped her hands around the handle to her bedroom. "This is my room!"

They both stopped at the door way, especially when they saw the way the opening of the door had startled Ione - who wasn't expecting them. Miss Sharpe especially noticed the way Ione opened and closed her mouth as she stared at them, her book still clutched in her hands.

"Hi Ione," Miss Sharpe started. "Ayla was just showing us your room," she changed as she noted that the girls obviously shared a room. "Is that okay?"  
Ione nodded slowly as she placed her book down in front of her.

"What are you reading, Ione?" Mr. Raymond asked carefully. She flinched as she turned the book over so that the cover was visible. "Bridge To Terabithia. That's a good one." She slowly nodded her head as both Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond looked at her.

"Is reading what you like to do most, Ione?" Miss Sharpe asked as she sat down on the edge of the mattress of Ione's bed. Mr. Raymond chose to stand.

Ione looked down at the book before turning back to Miss Sharpe and slowly nodding. She chewed her lip as she looked at the two adults in her bedroom. She remembered how nice Miss Sharpe had been. But while she remembered the kindness she also remembered what she had told her - about Brody and making him upset. She didn't even want to think about what would happen when they left, Brody had been good and nice since he found them at school - but she was sure when he found out what she had said he would get mad. And she couldn't stand him getting mad at Mom again.

"Ione reads to me sometimes at night!" Ayla giggled from her bed. "What was that book about the other planet Ione?" she turned to Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond. "It was about a girl who had to go save her Daddy..."

"That sounds like A Wrinkle In Time," Miss Sharpe smiled. "Do Mommy and Daddy read with you sometimes?"

Ayla shrugged. "Mommy does. Daddy just watches movies with us when he's home."

"When he's home?"

"Daddy goes away a lot," Ayla shrugged. "Want to see my doll now?"

Mr. Raymond turned to look at Ayla exclusively. "Sure, where is she?"

While Ayla showed Mr. Raymond her doll, Miss Sharpe turned her attention to Ione.

"So is pink your favourite colour?" she asked softly, trying to make the little girl comfortable again. It was obvious to her that Ayla was the more outgoing one of the two - and just like in the office - it was evident that Ione carried a lot of guilt.

Ione shook her head. "Pink is Ayla's favourite colour," she shrugged. "But I picked the shade."

"Well it's very pretty," Miss Sharpe affirmed. Ione shrugged again.

They explored the rest of the apartment and found Brody and Rachel sitting on the couch in the living room. Miss Sharpe noted how they were sitting apart from each other, Rachel with her hands in her lap and Brody staring stoically at the television. Both Miss Sharpe and Mr. Raymond looked at each other before making their presence known. They watched as Rachel flinched and Brody stood to his feet quickly.

"We'll be going now," Mr. Raymond spoke authoritatively. "But we'll be in touch once again." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "If you need to speak to us, please don't hesitate..." He held it up in between the two who were now both standing. After a beat Brody reached forward and grabbed the card before he stuffed it into his pocket.

"Thank you," Rachel spoke softly. She crossed her arms over her chest as her and Brody both followed the pair to the door. Miss Sharpe held her gaze for a few beats before turning towards the door and leading Mr. Raymond out of the small apartment. 

* * *

Rachel gently patted her face dry with a soft towel. She took in her appearance in the mirror for a brief moment as she tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened today and tonight. She took a deep, cleansing breath as she stared at her reflection. Her nerves were shot now, since Mr. Ray and Miss Sharpe had left. She hadn't expected to see them again. She didn't even know how they knew where they lived. She wondered if they had seen Brody earlier - she was sure they had. She pulled at the bottom of her pajama top as she thought about the girls. When she had gone to kiss them good night Ayla had been fast asleep in her bed with her doll and Ione had been up, staring at the ceiling. She had tried to get her to talk, but Ione kept shutting her down. She knew from experience that when Ione had rough days, she usually shut down. And it hadn't just been a rough day - it had been a rough week if not longer. So she had kissed her goodnight and pushed her hair back after promising how much she loved her before leaving the room.  
And now she was here.

"Want to watch a movie tonight, babe?" She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice. She slowly turned around to find him standing behind her, resting against the doorframe dressed in a pair of sweats and a tank top.

He approached her slowly when she had turned to face him all the way. Her breath hitched when she felt his hands come to rest on her hips. He pulled her close but didn't make a move to press a kiss to her lips or even her forehead. He stared into her eyes for a good solid few minutes before speaking slowly.

"I missed you," he sighed. "Let's go watch a movie, yeah?"

Rachel blinked as his hands moved from her hips around to the small of her back. "Okay," she whispered.

She followed him out of the bathroom towards the bedroom where he had set up a movie in the DVD player. He smirked when she noticed the movie he had chosen - The Wedding Planner - she had always loved the idea of finding love when you least expect it. It was her favourite movie and he usually hated watching it with her. She gave him a weak smile as she climbed onto the bed and sank into her spot. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply as the comfort of the familiar mattress welcomed her like a blanket. He followed her lead and just as soon as he clicked play on the remote, he used his free arm to wrap it around her shoulders and pull her into him.

"I don't like it when you're gone," he sighed into her ear before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. She couldn't help but shiver.


	8. Chapter 7

Well hello! Hope everyone is doing well!  
Ahead of this chapter I feel inclined to leave you with a warning. There is extreme violence in this chapter. If you are easily triggered by or effected by mentions of abuse I ask that you skip forward to the next chapter when it's posted. I will gladly provide a PG summary in that case. This chapter is absolutely rated R/M.

I want to thank Lauren and my mom for all their help. And once again, I don't own Finn, Rachel or any characters that have once appeared on Glee. Every original character belongs to me, as does the plot. I've taken some liberties under the fact that this is in fact fiction. Thanks for reading! 

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Rachel immediately felt like she was entering a different zone the moment the door to the apartment was opened. The air felt thick to her, not nearly as clear as she had left it. The morning had been easy, almost calm to a fault but this...this was different. This was maddening and hair raising all at once. She swallowed hard as she stepped into the apartment that was cloaked in an impressive quiet. She shucked off her boots and shrugged off her coat before she hung it on the small tree. She instantly froze when she heard footsteps stomping her way. She turned just in time to find Brody standing behind the couch in the living room, his arms locked down on the back of the couch. From her position by the door she could easily see the veins in his arms and the way his arm muscles flinched in his arms as he grabbed the back of the couch. She swallowed hard as she raised her eyes to look directly at him, and she was taken aback by the look in his eyes. She didn't move from her spot for a brief moment, the glare and venom in his eyes were enough to make her freeze in place. His stare was cold, and dark and just enough to make a shiver run down her spine.

She flinched in the instant that he moved away from the couch. Her breath caught in her throat as he seemed to barrel towards her, her own body frozen to the spot. When he was close enough, she could see that his eyes were just as black as she had thought - the venom she saw there was enough to make her shake. She flinched once more when he slammed his hand against the door behind her, capturing her attention once and for all.

"What were you thinking, huh? Thinking you could run away, like the little girl you are?" Brody snarled as he leaned his head so he was so close she could smell the coffee on his breath. When she didn't respond a sarcastic and wide grin appeared on his face. "Cat got your tongue today? Really? Or just feeling guilty?" He slammed his other hand against the door, effectively caging her against the door in a flash. "This is all your fucking fault you know..." he spat. "CPS called again...wanting to talk to the girls...this is all your fucking fault." He moved his hands to grab for her shoulders, giving her a shake that was hard enough to make her head wobble. She whimpered quietly through closed lips, so he wouldn't hear her. He smirked as he shook her harder, before he grabbed her away from the door and swung her around. She stumbled backwards when he let go, but caught herself so she stayed up right.

"What, you're not going to say anything? Tough girl..." he snarled as he reached his arms out to grab for her hands again. He yanked her by her hands back towards him with such force that she crashed into his chest in an instant. She gasped when she collided with him and he instantly raised his hands to grasp her around her shoulders. His smile was frighteningly wide and she stared up at him with wide eyes and a heavy throat. "You're such a fucking idiot," he slapped as he pushed her away by way of her shoulders. He pushed her hard enough that she stumbled back and fell onto the floor on her bottom. She immediately scrambled backwards to put some distance between them as he moved forward to loom over her. She moved until she hit the corner of the wall behind her that separated the living room and hallway with the kitchen/dining room. In the time it took her to blink he leaned down and grasped her, hoisting her up by her hands. She struggled against his grip and relaxed when she found her footing and he let go of her hands. But it only spurred him on and he grabbed for her cheeks as he glared down at her. He was holding her so hard that she felt like her jaw was going to break. "This is all your fucking fault..." he squeezed her cheeks together with one hand as he used the other to rise to the back of her head and grip the ponytail she had her hair in so she would be forced to look at him. "This is all your fucking fault! Now they're never going to leave us fucking alone all because YOU thought you could run away. Who'd you tell, huh? That stupid bitch at work?" he snarled as he tugged.

"I didn't," she struggled to get the words out as his grip on her hair increased. She tried to move her jaw so he would loosen the grip on her cheeks, where she was sure he was leaving more bruises. She moved it around in a desperate attempt to get him to let her mouth go. "It wasn't me!" she cried when he finally loosened his hold on her cheeks enough that she could speak. "It wasn't me! I didn't say anything!" she cried as he yanked her head back with such a force that if it had been even slightly harder he would have snapped her neck. Her eyes widened when she managed to pull her head back up to look at him as his grip slipped for a second. "It wasn't me you fucking asshole!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She watched as Brody froze the second the words slipped from her lips, she was sure he was stunned that she had finally found her words. His grip completely dropped from her hair and she took the freedom in that moment to untangle herself from the cage he had her in and dashed around him. He chased after her as she ran through the apartment. They came to a face off at the end of the hallway, standing between the two bedrooms. The fire in his eyes raged on as she tried hurriedly to think of where to go, what to do next. Her chest was heaving from exertion as she tried to get her thoughts together. A smirk overcame his lips at that moment and she stood stunned in place as she watched with wide eyes.

"I know it wasn't you, stupid bitch," he chuckled venomously. "It was Ione! They fucking told me!" He laughed again. "That fucking kid has been nothing but problems from day one! Such a whiner..." he cackled as he shook his head. "Stupid fucking Mama's girl..."

Something snapped in that instant. As the words fell from Brody's lips and hit Rachel's ears, she felt all of her pent up anger and aggression that she had been holding on to bubble and spill over. She pushed off the wall she had sequestered herself against in an attempt to protect herself. But enough was enough. She straightened herself up in an instant as all of her anger rushed to the surface and she clenched her hands at her sides as she narrowed her eyes to stare at him. He had the nerve to chuckle again as she looked at him, her anger seething from every pore of her body. As he let one more chuckle escape his lips she raised her hands forward and attempted to push him away from her.

"This is your fault!" she screamed as she shoved her hands into his chest. She put all of her strength and power behind her arms as she locked her elbows and tried to push him away, towards the kitchen. "This is all your fucking fault because you touched her!" she yelled. "You put bruises on my daughter!" she seethed. "I hate you so much!" She pulled her fist back and attempted to pound on his chest while trying to hold him back with her other. "I fucking hate you!" she screamed. She reached her hand up and started to try and slap him. "I fucking hate you so much! I hate you!" she screamed. "You hurt my daughter!"

Brody grabbed for the hand that was attempting to slap him across the face in that moment and immediately twisted it so it was awkwardly tangled around her back. Rachel sucked in a breath as he did so, immediately trying to wiggle out of his grip like she had been able to do before. Only this time his grip had intensified, and as he gripped her wrist she felt all of her breath leave her body. And in that moment she was scared.

He grabbed for her other hand at that moment, twisting it and pulling it behind her back in much the same fashion as the other one. She sucked in another breath as she continued to struggle, before he raised his knee and drove it into her stomach. In an instant all of the breath left her body.

"You hate me, eh?" he snarled as she hunched over as best as she could with her arms tied behind her back. "Fucking bitch. See how this feels." He used brute force to drive his knee into her stomach again before he threw her to the ground. She immediately groaned when her body hit the floor and attempted to roll over on to her side to get into a fetal position. But before she had a chance to do that she felt his foot collide with her ribs and any breath she had left in her lungs rushed forward. She cried out as a stabbing pain rushed through her. She closed her eyes as she tried to move her arm to cover where the pain was beginning to radiate from and almost chocked when she felt the tip of his shoe slam into her arm so hard that she couldn't help but drop it to the ground as he continued his assault.

In that moment she wished for death. She couldn't cry out anymore as he continued to beat her and throw her around, because the movement hurt too much. Every bit of her body was on fire and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She bit the inside of her cheek as she felt him kick her knee and all she could do was open her mouth at the sound of the pop. She wished she could just sleep; wished that death would claim her because everything hurt so bad and she wasn't sure how she was ever going to get through this.

"Like that bitch?" suddenly his voice and his breath were close to her again, close enough that she could smell the coffee he had drank this morning. She could almost smell the whiskey he had added to it, and feel the sweat starting to drip from his brow. Rachel struggled against the pain to take a deep breath before she felt Brody reach for her head. She felt him lift it off the floor and she started to hyperventilate as he grasped just under her ears, along her jaw. The pain in her ribs and her chest started to radiate further as she struggled to remain calm in the face of whatever he had planned to do to her next. "I hope you fucking rot in hell, bitch," he screamed in her face. "I fucking hate you...and I'm going to fucking take Ayla and you'll never, ever see her again..." he growled as her eyes opened, wide at the words he was spewing. He laughed manically as he squeezed his hands around her head tighter and slammed her head against the floor with a thunk.

By the third time, everything went black. 

* * *

Finn sighed the moment he stepped out into the foyer of the school and saw both Ione and Ayla sitting on their usual bench outside of the receptionists office. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and adjusted his bag on his shoulder as he approached the two of them. Ayla looked up at him with a soft smile on her face before turning her attention back to the small comic-like book she was holding in her hands.

"Hey guys, waiting for Mom?" he asked quietly as he dropped his bag at his feet and sat down on the bench beside Ione. She flinched a little when he settled beside her, but he paid no mind to the action. She had been quiet in class all day, not speaking to anyone unless he called upon her first. It concerned him, watching her retreat even more so into herself after the events of yesterday. But deep in his soul he still felt like he had done the right thing, calling Child Protective Services. He had a duty to, as a teacher. If he was being honest he was shocked to see the girls in school today. After what he had seen in the hallway last night, after the events of yesterday he had felt that their mother would keep them home. But when Ione had walked into the classroom this morning he had been nothing short of relieved.

"Mom's off today," Ione commented as she closed her own book to look at Finn directly. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure why she's late..."

Finn mirrored her shrug. "Maybe she just went shopping or something. I'm sure she'll be here soon to pick you guys up..."

Ione gave him a look that showed how unconvinced she was, before she went back to the book in her hands - the one that had been the center of the meltdown yesterday.

Finn watched them for a minute. He watched as Ayla sighed while she flipped the page in her book, giggling at whatever she was reading for a minute. Ione, on the other hand, hadn't flipped the page since he had sat down with them, her eyes not even moving over the words as he had watched her do so many times in class both during silent reading and when she read aloud. He wondered what was going through her head at the moment, she had been so calm and quiet all day and he wondered, briefly, what home had been like last night. His thoughts didn't linger on last night too long as he thought about where the girls mother could be as he leaned his own head back against the wall. As time ticked on, passed the time that Rachel usually came running into the now empty school he tried to decide what to do.

"Hey Ione, you said your Mom was off today, right?"

Ione took her eyes off the book again and turned to look at him. She closed the book in her lap and clutched the edges in her hands. She nodded slowly. "She told me she was going to stay home today with Brody..." she mumbled as her eyes dropped.

Ayla piped up in that moment. "Mommy said she would make sloppy joes for dinner!" she squealed in that moment.

Finn chuckled a bit at Ayla's enthusiasm for a meal that was actually one of his childhood favourites as well. "Does she put cheese on them?"

Ayla shook her head up and down quickly as a smile came to her lips. "Lots of cheese!"

Finn couldn't help but chuckle again as he leaned his elbows down on his knees. He even saw Ione crack a smile for a minute before turning back to her book. 

* * *

Finn only started to get concerned when he caught Ione staring at the digital clock that was in the hallway. If he was being honest, he started thinking something was off about ten minutes ago, but he didn't want to alarm the girls. If their mother was truly off like Ione said she was, then where was she? He watched Ione twitch a little bit and shifted her hips on the bench no doubt in an attempt to get more comfortable. His own behind had gone numb a few minutes ago but he tried to ignore the numbing sensation.

"Ione, when is Mommy going to come?"Ayla asked quietly. Finn scratched the top of his head as he waited to hear Ione's response.

"I don't know Ayla," Ione responded in a whisper. "I'm sure she'll be here soon..."

Finn took that moment to stand up from his sitting position on the bench. "Where are you going Mr. Hudson?"

He looked down to see both Ione and Ayla staring up at him, both of their eyes wide and questioning. "Aren't you going to stay until Mommy gets here?" Ayla asked. "Like you always do?"

"Of course I am," he answered without hesitation. "I'm just going to check in with Mrs. Patterson and see if anyone has called, okay? Maybe Mommy called to say she was going to be late and Mrs. Patterson forgot to tell us..."

Both of the young girls nodded in sync and he felt their stares on his back the entire, short walk into the office.

Finn sighed when he entered the small room, and was immediately met with the judgement filled eyes of the old receptionist. He held up his hand before she could start to say anything. He didn't need her to start on him now, not when his concern was beginning to get the best of him.

"Has anyone called for Ione St. James and Ayla Weston?" he asked the older woman, as he leaned his palms on the desk.

"I haven't received any calls Mr. Hudson," Mrs. Patterson sighed. "You'd think she would know to be on time," she snipped as she looked at him with a look on boredom.

"The girls said she's off today, she must just be running behind," he tried to excuse. "Maybe we can call her? This is oddly late for her..."

The older woman stared at him with a look of contempt and disinterest. He fought the urge to roll his eyes at her as she tapped her finger nails along the desktop before turning her attention to the keyboard in front of her. She pushed a few buttons and in a matter of seconds two pages came spitting out of the printer beside her. Mrs. Patterson collected them in a haste before she pushed them towards Finn. It was both Ayla and Ione's emergency contact forms.

"There is no we in this Mr. Hudson, this is your call," she explained before gesturing to the phone that rested on the corner and leaning back in her chair.

Finn sighed as he stared at the two pieces of paper in his hands. He took note of their mother's home number and cell phone number and decided to start with the latter. If she was out and about he assumed that would be the best way to get a hold of her. He turned to look out the glass window of the office and frowned a little when he saw both Ione and Ayla had turned around, sat up on their knees and were now staring at him through the glass. He dialed the number on the phone quickly, careful not to misdial a number before holding the receiver tighter to his ear. The number continued to ring and ring, and after several minutes with no evidence of a voice mail box, he hung up the phone. He tried the home phone number next, only to get the same response. He sighed as Mrs. Patterson clicked her tongue at him before he flipped to Ayla's page. There was another number listed here, one for Brody Weston. He hesitated for a second, before dialing out that number and waiting with baited breath. This time, a voice mail clicked on with a gruff voice Finn recognized from yesterday telling him to 'leave it at the beep'. He hung up the phone before the beep could click on.

"I'm sure she's just...she's just driving or something," he lied as he looked at Mrs. Patterson. He knew they didn't have a car, Ione's journal had told him so much - detailing cab, subway and bus rides in great detail sometimes. He was beginning to wonder what was going on. With three unanswered phone calls, he wasn't feeling very hopeful about Rachel Berry walking into the school any second. Instead of saying anything else to the old woman, he reached for the phone again and dialed out the one remaining number that was on both Ione and Ayla's forms. Rachel's workplace. He breathed a sigh of relief when a voice came on the line after only 3 rings.

"Thank you for calling Brookside Diner, Jessica speaking..."

Finn cleared his throat as he waited for the woman to finish her opening line. "Hi, um, my name is Finn Hudson and I'm looking for," he paused as he turned to look at Ione and Ayla who were still staring at him through the window. "I'm looking for Rachel Berry, I'm Ione's teacher and she's late for dismissal..."

"Rachel's not in right now," he heard softly on the other end of the phone. "Have you tried her..."

"...cell phone, home phone and a number for a Brody Weston," he concluded. He heard the woman on the other side of the phone curse and some banging, along with a few harsh whispers.

"Listen, I'm done my shift in five minutes. I can...I can go by her apartment and if I can't find her I'll swing by to pick up the girls..."

Finn sighed and held the phone to his ear. It was against policy, this Jessica woman wasn't even on the contact list, but as the second hand pushed forward on the clock and he felt the girls staring into the back of his head he made an executive decision.

"Okay," he stated firmly. He rubbed the back of his neck roughly with his fingers. "Just...just let us know. I'll stay with the girls as long as I can at the school..."

"Alright, thanks Mr. Hudson." There was a click on the other end of the phone line that signalled to Finn that the conversation was over.

He let out a deep sigh and rubbed the palms of his hands over his face.

"I hope you know what you're doing Mr. Hudson," Mrs Patterson murmured from where she stood by the closet where she had been gathering her things.

He sighed once more before he turned on his heel to leave the office.

As soon as he hit the threshold, both girls turned on their own heels and scrambled to sit back down on the bench. Finn watched them for a brief moment; his eyes falling to Ione first as he watched her hands twist in her lap nervously. Ayla for her part stared up at him, her eyes wide and wondering.

"Did you talk to Mom, Mr. Hudson?" Ione asked nervously. She didn't raise her eyes to look at him as she continued to twist her hands in her lap. "Is she coming to get us?"

Finn took a few steps to take the spot he had left empty a few minutes before. Instinctively he clasped his own hands in his lap before he turned to look at the girls. "I didn't. She didn't answer her phone."

"Did you try her cell phone?" Ayla asked quietly. "She always says she would always answer her cell phone."

Finn waited a beat before answering her question. "She didn't. But I did talk to her friend Jessica, at work."

"Mommy was off today," Ayla repeated.

"I know, Ayla," Finn paused. "But she told me her and Mommy were friends," he fibbed. "So Jessica is going to your apartment to see if she maybe fell asleep and didn't hear the phone..."

Ione's head lifted from its position almost immediately, her eyes wide. Finn was startled by the look in her eyes. One that he had seen yesterday.

* * *

He could see it happening as it proceeded to get later. Finn assumed his position on the bench and waited for something, anything to happen. Ayla had put her book away and was laying down with her head in Ione's lap. He watched quietly from his spot as Ione mindlessly started to play with her sisters unruly hair, her fingers running through the dark wavy spots without a second thought. He watched as Ione chewed her lip while she did so, and her eyes darted back and forth from the door to her hands on Ayla's head.

It startled all three of them when the door to the school opened, followed by some heavy footsteps that were approaching them quickly. Ayla sat up immediately, and slid off the bench in anticipation. But when a smaller woman with fire engine red hair came into view, Finn watched as Ayla immediately slunk her way back to the bench as Ione sat up straighter and clasped her hands in her lap.

"You're not Mommy," Ayla sighed as she dropped her shoulders. She turned to look at Ione. "That's not Mommy Ione."

"Hi girls," the younger woman half smiled as she came closer. Once she was within talking distance Finn noticed that her cheeks were flushed, like she had run whatever distance it had been between where Rachel and the girls lived and the school. "Do you remember me?"

Both of the girls looked at her silently. Finn shifted the way he was sitting on the bench before standing up to introduce himself to the shorter woman.

"You're Mommy's friend," Ione mumbled. "Where's Mommy?" she looked up from staring at her hands to look up at the woman in front of them. "Jessica, where's Mommy?"

Finn felt relief flush over his features as Ione spoke to Jessica. Jessica though, turned to him when the question fell from Ione's lips.

"Mr. Hudson? Can I speak to you for a minute?" the woman asked carefully after a minute. He nodded almost immediately and stood up from the bench, but was stopped when Ione reached for his arm.

"You're not leaving, are you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere Ione, just going to talk to Jessica," he tried to give her a reassuring smile as he moved away from her. He could feel both Ione and Ayla watching him as he walked a few steps away to talk to Jessica.

He crossed his arms as Jessica fidgeted with the gloves she had shoved in her pockets which she kept her eyes on the girls.

"Thanks for staying with them," she started. She pushed her hands more into her pockets, before she turned her body so she had her back to the girls.

"It's kind of our routine now," Finn offered as he looked at her. "Do you know when Miss. Berry will..."

"Mr. Hudson," Jessica stopped him midsentence. "I went to their apartment and...and Rachel wasn't there..the door was busted open and..."

Finn felt sweat start to dot his brow as he listened to the woman. "Her neighbour came out when she heard me calling Rachel's name and told me she had called the police after she heard a terrible fight and...and Rachel was taken away by ambulance..."

"So she's..." Finn ran his fingers through his hair.

Jessica shook her head. "She was taken to the hospital, that's all I know. She couldn't tell me anything else but...when I called her cell it went right to voicemail."

"Mommy's at the hospital?"

Both Finn and Jessica stopped what they were doing and both turned to face where Ione was standing right behind them. Jessica immediately bent down to Ione's level. When she extended a hand to touch her shoulder, Ione immediately jerked away from the redhead.

"Ione."

"No! You're lying! Mommy is going to come for us!" she stumbled over her words as she continued to back away from both Jessica and Finn. "Right Mr. Hudson? She's coming!"

"Ione," he started. He bent down himself after taking a step to get between her and Jessica. By now Ayla had walked over to join Ione. And she immediately grabbed for Ione's hand.

"Mr. Hudson? Call her again..."

"Ione."

"She's lying!" she shouted as she dropped Ayla's hand. She lifted her hand to push her hair from her face. "Tell her Mr. Hudson, Mommy is just late!" Her lip quivered as she looked at Finn. "She's just late, isn't she Mr. Hudson? She's just late..."

"Ione, I'm going to tell you something that Jessica just told me," Finn started, swallowing hard against the lump that was forming in his throat. _The first rule in teacher's college, the first thing they teach you is to not get attached - not pick favourites_. But he felt the draw to the little girl in front of him the moment he had met her at the beginning of the year. "But I need you to be strong for me, do you think you can do that?"

Ione stared at him for a moment. Her eyes moved between him and Ayla who was standing quietly at her side. "You too Ayla, you think you can do that for me?"

She slowly nodded and he watched as she grabbed for Ione's hand again and squeezed.

Finn took a deep breath and he looked up at Jessica once more before turning back to the girls.

"Your Mommy, was taken to the hospital earlier today."

The moment the words left his mouth, Finn felt like there were a million different ways he could have delivered the blow. It was like time stood at a standstill in that moment. His knees were beginning to ache as he glanced between the girls, waiting for a reaction. Ione was stoic against the words he had shared.

"Ione," Ayla whispered quietly.

"But she's home right?" Ione asked. Her eyes focused in on his and in that moment, Finn could only turn to look at Jessica. When she shook her head from side to side, he felt his palms start to sweat. "Right? Jessica is just here to take us home..."

"Ione..." he started.

"She's at home," she murmured as Ayla clutched her hand tighter."She's just at home, she's just at home..." Ione closed her eyes.

"Ione, open your eyes and look at me - your Mom...she's..." his thought was broken when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

Jessica stepped forward and crouched beside him. "Girls, your Mom is still at the hospital. But I'm going to take you to my house and then we'll -"

"I don't want to go to your house," Ione stammered. "I want to see Mommy. I want to see Mommy and I want to go home..."

"Ione you can't..." Jessica tried.

"I want. to see. my Mom," Ione's lip trembled and the tears began to pique in her eyes. "You're not my Mom and I want my mom," she whimpered. "Please just take me to my Mom..."

The tears started as Finn stood up finally, and Jessica reached for Ione as she began to cry in earnest. Finn scratched the back of his head as he watched Jessica reach out for the little girl and he shuddered when he heard her let out a loud sob. He jerked back when Ione bumped into him as she tried to move away from Jessica's arms.

"I just want to see my mom!" Ione cried. He nodded to Jessica who looked like she was quickly losing her own ground. He didn't know how well these girls knew her, but even if it was long term he was sure that this situation was more complicated than it seemed.

"Ione, it's okay..." he gently patted her shoulder as he led her over to the bench they had abandoned when Jessica had walked in. "It's okay to go with Jessica. I'm sure she's going to take you to see your Mom..." he looked up and tried to catch the strangers eye. When she nodded, he looked back at Ione. "She's going to take you, but you have to calm down okay? I'm sure your Mom is okay and everything is fine..."

He met her eyes and he felt the lump in his throat from moments earlier start to swell again.

"Mr. Hudson," her voice trembled. "Do you really think she's okay?"

Finn sucked in a breath. _Rule number two of teachers college. Don't make your students promises you can't keep._ "I'm sure she is just fine."

"Mr. Hudson?" her voice was quieter this time.

"Yes Ione?"

He watched as she looked down at her toes, and dug the tip of her boot into some imaginary hole in the floor. When she looked up at him, the tears were rolling down her cheeks and her chin was trembling. "I'm really scared she's not okay."

Finn sucked in a breath. "Well, that's what you're going to find out, right?" He reached forward and patted her shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine."

Ayla walked over to where Ione and Finn were sitting on the bench and he watched as she slowly crawled onto the bench. He watched in silence as Ione moved her arm to wrap around the smaller girl, pulling her into her shoulder to hug her, just like before. She sniffled as she leaned into Ione's shoulder as Finn went to stand up once and for all. He bent to pick up his bag before he walked over to where Jessica was standing.

"He did this to her," she whispered as she shook her head. Finn's eyes widened as he looked over her. He wasn't sure if what she had said had been meant for him, but as the words sank in...he couldn't help but shake his head as well. After the events of yesterday, the events of the rest of the school year...everything felt like it was coming together. He rubbed his face, hard, with the palms of his hands. When he removed them Jessica was no longer standing beside him. She was over by the girls, trying to get them into their coats that they had stripped off and to get their bags together. The tears from moments before seemed to reignite in that moment, as Jessica struggled to get Ione to take her bag. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in this situation, but he did step forward to help Ayla with her bag. She was quiet, almost mouse-like.

"Mr. Hudson, please come with us!" Ione begged as she finally allowed Jessica to help her into the straps of her backpack. When the straps were on her shoulders, she launched forward and almost knocked him down with the force of her push.

He looked down and saw the devastation in her eyes, he saw how scared she was - and before he could even think about the consequences or the lines he might have been crossing, he quickly nodded his head.

"Of course Ione. Of course." 

* * *

****Finn felt Ione squeeze his hand tightly as the four of them walked through the automatic doors of the hospital. She had had an impossible grip on his hand the entire way there, through the cab ride that had been eerily silent and the slow march they had made as a group from the side of the road to the very doors they had just walked through.

He felt Ione squeeze his hand again as Jessica tried to slink her way through the group of people that were lingering around the busy emergency room. He hated hospitals, always had. Ever since he was little, and had broken every bone in his body it seemed over the course of one summer - he had hated the sights and the sounds of everything emergency related. Those memories coupled with the sinking feeling he had been carrying in his stomach ever since they had left the school caused even the smallest hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. His phone buzzed in his pocket one more time as they approached the admitting station. He tried to hang back as Jessica sidled up to the counter and waited for the nurse there to pay attention to them.

"Mr. Hudson, your phone keeps buzzing," Ione murmured. "Are you going to answer it?"

He looked down at Ione as she blinked back up at him. "I will after. It's not important right now." Finn watched as Ione nodded slowly before turning her eyes back to where Jessica and Ayla were standing.  
He sighed before he turned his attention to the situation that was starting at the counter.

"We're here to see Miss Rachel Berry," he heard Jessica repeat. "These are her children and we just want to..."

"Ma'am, as I just told you - unless you are related to her I cannot divulge any information about a patient's status..."

"But these are her children, her girls who are..."

"Ma'am, I understand that. But they're minors and I can't release..." ****

He stepped up when he heard Jessica let out a grunt of frustration and he watched her shoulders slump.

"Mr. Hudson, what's happening?" Ione asked quietly as she tugged his hand back as he moved forward further.

"Listen, Miriam, I know you're doing your job," Jessica sighed as the frustration rose in her voice. "But these children here are scared and they just want to make sure their mother is okay..."

"I just want to see my Mommy," he heard Ayla mumble and he felt Ione squeeze his hand tighter.

"We'll be quick," Finn interjected. "They just need to see that she's okay and then we'll...then we'll go..."

"And who are you Sir?"

"I'm...I'm just a friend," he stumbled over his words as the nurses attention focused fully on him. He saw the incredulous look on her face. "A concerned friend who just wants to make sure she's okay so we can take the girls home..."

"I'm sorry Sir, but I can't divulge any information to any of you other than Miss Berry is in fact a patient here. And that alone is saying too much. Now if you'll please move out of the way, I have other patients to attend to..."

Finn felt himself deflate as he tugged Ione's hand back and tapped Jessica on the shoulder simultaneously. The look of defeat was etched on Jessica's face as well as he nodded towards a bank of chairs further away from the crowd of sick people in the room.

"Why won't they let us see Mommy?" Ayla asked after a quiet few minutes. "Ione? Why can't we just go see her?"

"Because we don't know where she is..." Ione's voice was quiet, reserved. "Right Mr. Hudson?"

Finn's heart dropped as he listened to her voice. "We know where she is Ione," he sighed as he used his hands to rub his tired eyes just as his phone vibrated again. He sighed. "We just don't know where to find her."

"That's probably important, if they keep calling," Ione mumbled as she looked down at her hands. Ayla's legs began to swing slowly beside her and Ione leaned over to place her hand on her knee. "Stop Ayla," she whined.

When the phone buzzed again, Finn sighed and finally reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out the still vibrating phone. He winced inwardly when the screen lit up with several texts and missed calls.

"Crap," he sighed when he looked at the phone. Over a dozen phone calls from both his mother and stepfather's cell phones. He was supposed to meet them for dinner, a fact that he was now just remembering.

"What's wrong Mr. Hudson?" Ione's voice trembled as she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide. "Do you have to leave us?" her voice dripped with sadness.

"No, no," he answered quickly. "I just have to make a phone call, is that okay?"

"Okay," she sighed.

He stepped out into the cool weather, just outside the doors of the hospital. He held the phone to his ear as it rang a few times until it finally clicked. His mother finally answered on what felt like the 12th ring.

"Finn! Where are you?!" he winced when her voice came through the phone receiver. He rubbed his face with his free hand.

"Mom, it's a long story that I would rather not get into..."

"You stand Burt and I up for dinner and you can't..."

He felt his eyes rolling in the back of his head as she went on a tangent of what was an appropriate excuse for missing dinner.

"Mom, I'm just dealing with something with one of my students right now."

His mother's voice instantly softened. "Do you need help Finny?"

He grimaced at the familiar nickname.

His mother was a social worker. Growing up, Finn had become accustomed to the phone ringing late at night and his mother having to attend meetings that sometimes took precedence over his little league games. It had never actually bothered him, because it was where he drew inspiration. His mother had taught him everything he needed to know just by doing. When he was old enough he had volunteered at the CPS offices she worked at, running summer camps and helping with supervised visits when he was in college. It was where he had learned what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

"I'm okay..." he pulled the phone away from his ear when he heard another beep, indicating a text message had come through. "I just...I have to deal with the situation and it could be awhile. Can we reschedule?"

His mother sighed on the other side of the line, her demeanor was already softer. "Of course. You'll call if you need me?"

"Of course."

He hung up and immediately flicked to his messages. Several messages from his mother flooded in, with a few from Santana. _Santana_. A light bulb went off as he read her messages begging for him to bring her wings since she couldn't escape her shift. 

* * *

He walked back into the emergency room door after he hung up the phone with Santana. After much deliberation and promises of dozens of pounds of wings, she had agreed to try and get him the information he needed. With directions on what to do next, he strode back into the room and found Jessica and the girls sitting in exactly the same spots he had left them.

"You're back Mr. Hudson!" Ione exclaimed. "You came back..." Her voice faltered on the last note, and it didn't go unnoticed by Finn.

He smiled softly as he came to stand in front of the three of them. He extended his hands to both Ione and Ayla.

"Come on, we're going to go for a walk..."

Each of the girls and Jessica looked at him with a confused look.

"We can't leave Mr. Hudson," Ione complained with a shake of her head. "We haven't seen Mommy yet and I'm not leaving until I see Mommy!" Her voice raised an octave as she stared at him with wide eyes. Jessica gave him a confused look as well.

"We are," he sighed. His phone beeped from his pocket and he felt all of the girls staring at him as he reached for it.

 _Room 398. I hope you know what you're about to do. - Santana_

He committed the information to memory and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He glanced at Jessica before turning back to look at Ione and Ayla. He waited until he caught Ione's gaze the most before speaking again.

"Do you trust me?"

When Ione nodded her head slowly, he gestured towards both of them with his hands again. "Then come with me." 

* * *

Both girls grew quiet as the group of them stepped off the elevator. Santana had instructed him to take them around to the more open area of the hospital so they could get to an elevator unnoticed. Ione had clutched his hand harder as the elevator had ascended the floors of the hospital. But when they started to walk down the hall the grip she had on his hand became more intense. But it all became worse when Jessica stopped them outside of what he had been told was Rachel's room.

The girls froze as Jessica crouched in front of them. Ione bit her lip as she stared at her, flicking her glance between her and the door.

"Girls, I want you to be prepared that your Mom might..." Jessica paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Mommy might what?" Ayla asked quietly.

"Your Mom might be sleeping," he interjected. "She's had a long day, so she might be sleeping. So we have to be quiet," he hurriedly explained. He could tell that Jessica was struggling for words. Both Ayla and Ione stared at him for a long moment before both turning back to Jessica.

"Can we please go see her now?" Ione asked with a hint of impatience. "I just need to see Mommy..."

Jessica nodded before standing up right and reaching to open the door.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw in front of him.

Jessica had gone in steps before him and the girls. When she had opened the door at first he tried to hold them back, let Jessica assess the situation. But the moment the door had opened Ione had darted around the younger woman's legs with Ayla quickly on her heels.

He stumbled in after the girls, but stopped short just inside the small and sterile room. The beeping of the machine caused him to pause, but the so obviously broken woman laying out on the bed in front of him caused his hands to tremble.

"Mommy," Ione whispered, her voice thick. He placed his shaking hand on her head, the only place he felt appropriate.

But it was Ayla who broke first. The sob that ripped through the little girls lips in that moment was startling. The sight in front of him was almost too much for him, he could only imagine how it was for the girls. And he almost kicked himself because of it. It was worse than his imagination had even began to imagine. Rachel was covered in bruises, the most prominent ones that he could see were along her jaw. Her left arm was covered in a cast, as was her left leg. He winced softly, trying not to let himself think about what could have happened to leave her in this position. He tried not to let his mind wander too far as Ione reached for his hand and squeezed tightly just as it all became too much for Ayla and she sprinted from the room with Jessica right behind her.

He waited with baited breath for the same emotions to burst forward from Ione. As he moved slightly to pull out the chair beside the bed, she remained rooted to her spot with small whimpers breaking from her lips every so often.

"She's just sleeping, right Mr. Hudson?" she asked quietly after a few moments. He sat himself down in the chair before he turned to look at her. His heart sank as the tears continued to stream down from her eyes.

"Ione," he murmured. A hush fell over the two of them as the beeping in the room continued to surround them. Her lip trembled as she crossed her arms over her chest. He watched as she buried her head to her chest and a sob slipped from her lips. He brushed the palms of his hands against his pants before he extended his hand to her. She took a shaky step and he wrapped an arm around her, trying his best to offer comfort as best as he could without stepping over any lines. His heart broke as he listened to her cry - to his knowledge this little girl had no one but her mother, and to him that was the most heartbreaking revelation above all else. "It's going to be okay."

When the door opened, Finn half expected it to just be Jessica coming back with Ayla. But as it opened he still heard the girls sobs out in the hallway. A nurse came breezing into the small room, but stopped abruptly when she found Finn and Ione sitting beside the bed.

"Oh. Hello," the older woman stopped steps in front of them. "I'm sorry - I didn't know anyone had come in for Rachel just yet..."

Finn rubbed Ione's back as she shrunk into herself. "We just got here a few minutes ago," he cleared his throat as he sat up more in the chair.

The nurse smiled warmly at them, before turning to evaluate Rachel.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ione asked quietly. Finn wasn't sure if she was talking more to the nurse or him. He just started to open his mouth when the nurse turned around and kneeled very gently in front of Ione. She curled herself as much as she could into Finn's side in front of the nurse.

"Is this your Mommy?" she asked quietly. When Ione nodded, the kind nurse continued on. "She is a very strong lady," she whispered before patting her head.

Finn watched as Ione's eyes welled with tears once more and the trembling in her chin reignited. But what he didn't miss, when the nurse stood up was the sympathetic glance she threw back at both of them.

"She should be waking up soon. We gave her a sedative earlier when she came in but it should be wearing off. She'll be so happy to see you," she smiled gently, directing her gaze towards Ione. "A doctor will be in shortly to discuss her treatment."

"Oh...I'm not..." Finn started. But the nurse didn't seem to hear him, and left the room quickly.

Jessica and Ayla returned when the nurse left. Ayla hiccupped as they walked into the room, clutching a chocolate chip cookie in her hand. Ione immediately separated herself from Finn and walked over to Ayla, wrapping an arm around her as Ayla thrust the cookie at her. Finn stood to his feet in an attempt to allow Jessica to sit. She shook her head.

"What did the nurse say?" she asked quietly. Finn could see that she was desperately trying not to focus her eyes on Rachel for too long.

"Just that she should be waking up soon. And that a Doctor would be by shortly...I should go before then..."

His thoughts were cut off when movement from the bed beside them caused all activity in the room to stop.

"Hhhhh...hi," Rachel's voice was scratchy and sounded raw, almost like it hurt.

"Rachel," Jessica and Finn breathed at the same time.

"thhhe giiiirrrlllls?" she asked quietly. Finn stood up from his chair and walked over to where the girls were standing off to the side together.

"Mommy," Ayla murmured as he led them to the side of her bed. Ione stayed quietly at her side, her eyes set intently on Rachel.

"Giiirrrrrlllls," she mumbled. She winced when she attempted to move, reach out to touch them.

"Don't move Rachel," Jessica breathed. "I'll...I'll go get a nurse..." she stumbled over her words and over her feet as she rushed to get out of the room.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Ione whimpered. She slowly approached the bed, taking her time to make it up to Rachel. Finn could see the worry in her eyes. She reached up gingerly to touch Rachel's fingers that she had attempted to stretch out. As soon as Ione's hand touched Rachel's, another sob broke from her lips as Ayla curled herself around her waist. Finn watched as the tears burned in Rachel's eyes and she fought back tears.

"I'm okay," she tried to spit out. Her speech was becoming clearer as the sedative began to retreat but Finn could tell it was still a struggle to form words.

Rachel blinked a few times as she tried to clutch Ione's fingers in her own. "I'm okay." 

* * *

They took the girls to get something to eat while Rachel was checked out by the doctor who arrived after a few minutes. Both of them were quiet as Jessica attempted to order them slices of pizza and juice. His phone buzzed while he sat with them and he couldn't help but notice how Ione watched him read and respond to the text quickly. She ate faster than he had seen her do so all year at school. He could tell she was anxious, tell she was worried and just wanted to get back to her Mom.

When Finn returned to the room with Ione, he immediately became uncomfortable and aware of the uniqueness of the situation when they stepped inside. Rachel was in tears, and Ione was at her side in moments. He stiffly stood at the door, trying desperately not to stare at the mother daughter pair in front of him. He didn't want to pry, but he could only assume the visit with the doctor had not gone well. Or it was just the general heartbreak of the situation, whatever it was. He had his own ideas.

When Ione shuffled passed him to go to the washroom, as she had announced, Finn stuck his hands in his pockets and moved a few steps away from the door where he had been standing. He heard Rachel slowly clear her throat as much as she could.

"Thank you," she whispered. He moved his gaze to direct it towards her while he took a step forward to be closer. "Just thank you," she whimpered. "I can't ever repay you..."

He shrugged. Her lip trembled. He took a deep breath as he took a tentative step closer to her bed, bending down so he was closer to her height. "You don't have to live like this Rachel," he breathed simply as the bathroom door opened and Ione shuffled out. 


	9. Chapter 8

Well hello! Hope this finds everyone well! I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but as you can see from my other published works I've been a bit busy. Truth is, this story is getting heavy so I needed a breather to refocus. It was also a super, super busy few weeks here at home - my birthday, father's day, working ... all created the perfect fire storm of busy. But I'm back! July promises to be just as busy with work and vacation (Yay!), and I'm currently trying to re-do the timeline because the ideas they are a flowing! Anyway - special thanks to Lauren for dealing with the rewrites of this chapter over and over. Also to my mom who dealt with me rambling about this chapter for weeks.

Also - short disclaimer. I'm not a medical professional, or a officer of the law. I've done as much research as I could so any and all mistakes are min and fall most definitely into artistic license. As well, still don't own anyone that once appeared on Glee. I do own the girls and the plot. Don't steal. It's mean.

Anyway - on with the show!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _Rachel regained consciousness on the floor, briefly, when she heard someone knocking on the door. She blinked as the pounding became worse and tried to call out, but she couldn't. Her throat burned and felt hoarse, as if she had been laying there for hours. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when the door busted open she suddenly didn't really care anymore. Someone was here. Someone was going to save her. She slipped back into a sleep, briefly as she heard the door smack open._

 _When she opened her eyes again, a police woman with kind eyes, smiled back at her. "Ma'am? Ma'am? You're okay. We're here to help. I'm Officer Buckley and I'm here to help you."_

 _Rachel cried involuntarily as she moved slightly, attempting to sit up. A searing pain ripped up her back as a scream of agony ripped through her throat and out her lips. "It's okay, darling...you just lay back down," the officer with the kind eyes said. "The EMTs are on their way up upstairs."_

 _The officer, whose name she already forgot, was brushing a cool towel across her forehead. "Mmm, that feels good," Rachel uttered incomprehensibly._

 _"Can you tell me your name ma'am?" the officer asked as the sounds of people stampeding up the stairs caught her ears._

 _Rachel blinked several times as she looked at the officer once more. She wanted to indicate in some way that it hurt to talk. Her screams during the-she banished the vision that played in her mind's eye. The screams had taken a toll on her voice._

 _"Is anyone home with you?" This she could answer. She shook her head 'no" watching the officer with the kind eyes motion to her partner for confirmation. He had searched the apartment before Rachel regained consciousness. When the officer turned her gaze back to Rachel, she saw huge tears streaming down her face. "It's okay, darling," she said. "It's all good. No one's here but us good guys." Rachel tried moving her mouth to say her name._

 _"Rachel," she breathed, her throat felt on fire, her mouth sore and achy. "My name," she whimpered slowly. "is Rachel."_

 _Fear swept through Rachel's body as the EMT's stormed the room. Their intense looks and protocols in rapid succession- moving limbs, securing neck and shoulders, starting an IV, monitors, wires-told her this was serious. Just as she thought she could bear no more, the EMTs began their countdown. " Three, two, one" and they placed her on the stretcher._

 _A scream so guttural it surprised even Rachel tore through her. Every ounce of her hurt. Every inch of her skin was aflame. Everything screamed._

 _Rachel sobbed. She cried because she wasn't going to die, she cried because she didn't know what was next. She cried because it had to be better than this. By the time they got her to the ambulance waiting downstairs, everything was black once more._

* * *

Rachel woke up with a gasp. Pain radiated from every part of her body, starting from the tips of her toes to the very ends of her hair. Every bit of her body in between felt like it was on fire, and it was all she could do not to scream at the top of her lungs. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed against the sunlight that was starting to peak through the edges of the blinds in her room and she whimpered when the action caused her bruised and swollen eye to throb in pain. She tried to shift herself on her bed, finding it difficult to do so with her leg in a cast and the remaining parts of her body screaming in agony. Tears piqued the corners of her eyes as she moved slightly and it was only the sound of the door to her hospital room opened that caused her to pause. She held her breath, her heart hammering against her chest as she waited to see who it was. Her mind raced, consumed with the thought and irrational fear that it was Brody - that he had found her and was going finish his assault. The reminders, and images of what he had already done to her had assaulted her over and over throughout the night. Her pain medication had left her dopey, but even they couldn't keep the reminders of what he had done to her.

* * *

 _When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the bright lights that were hanging above her. Rachel gasped as her eyes flittered from side to side, taking in the room around her. White painted walls and bright lights, beeps from the monitors that were around her came, blinking lights and numbers filling the screens. She took in a quick gulp of breath as flashes of memories returned to her and she squeezed her eyes tightly closed as realization dawned. Tears piqued in the corners of her eyes as she tried to move her limbs against the bed, grimacing and whimpering as the IV that was in her hand pulled against the tape and skin of her hand. Throbs of pain shot through her arm and leg and she nearly rocketed out of bed when she felt a cold hand touch her right elbow for the briefest of seconds._

 _"Hold on there sweetheart," the kind, soft voice broke through her haze of confusion and she sucked in another deep breath as her eyes shot over to follow the voice. A older woman dressed in red scrubs stood beside her, her hand still gently placed on her arm.. "You're safe, you're okay..." The woman's kind brown eyes gazed down at her. "Don't move, you're going to hurt yourself more and we don't want that honey," The nurse gently adjusted her pillow before giving her a soft smile. "Just stay calm, everything is going to be just fine."_

 _Rachel blinked slowly as she stared at her. She moved to open her lips, respond to the kind woman beside her but the throbbing in her jaw intensified, a pain that felt familiar in that instance._

 _"Just stay calm, everything is going to be just fine," the nurse smiled._

 _"My...girls..." she stammered, finding a strength in herself. Her heart started to race and she immediately started to sit up again. "I need to ... I need to get to my ... to my girls..." her lip trembled and her eyes watered_

 _The door to the hospital room opened, and the sounds from the hallway assaulted her ears .She laid back down and clenched her eyes closed as the tears openly flowed down her cheeks. She felt the cool hand of the nurse on her arm once more as some heavy footsteps joined them. Her eyes flew open as the sounds reverberated in her ears. Memories flashed as the sounds came to a halt, memories of the way he had approached her earlier. Was it earlier? What time was it? Where was she?_

 _"It's okay Rachel," the cool hand of the nurse brought her back once more. "It's just Dr. Paterson -"_

 _"No, no, no, no," she shook as the man came closer in his white coat, with the stethoscope around his neck. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked. "I need to go ... I need to go..." she cried. "I can't be here!"_

 _The cool touch of the nurse left her arm and she raised it for a moment to try and sit up. She cried when the pain spliced through her arm and a sob tore from her lips. Seconds later she felt a calm drift over her, as she lost the will to battle against the people wanting to help her and succumbed to sleep._

* * *

"Good morning Miss Berry," Rachel felt herself relax, the breath she was holding left her body as she leaned against the pillow behind her. Dr. Paterson stepped into her vision and she felt her heart rate calm, it wasn't Brody. She could breathe.

She didn't say anything as the older man with greying temples approached her. She winced a bit when he pulled out the chair beside her and the metal of the feet scraped along the linoleum of the floor.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked carefully as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

Rachel swallowed after a moment and turned her face so her cheek was resting on the stiff pillow. She blinked slowly as she looked at the older man carefully.

"I...I'm in pain," she whispered.

"We'll get you something for that. What you were given to control the pain has most likely worn off by now so we can have a nurse order you some more," he paused. She nodded as she swallowed once more, her eyes following as he stood up from his chair. "I'm just going to check you over, is that okay?"

She could only nod, but when she did he immediately moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out a small light. Her eyes watered as he shone the light in her eyes, and she tried hard to follow along with his directions. It was bright, and she fought to keep them open under his instructions. Her head pounded excessively, something she had never felt before. She felt a prickling in her toes as she tried to move them, her fingers were easier to curl and uncurl as he instructed. She breathed a sigh of relief when he put the light back in his pocket and exchanged it for a pen, to quickly scribble notes onto the clipboard he had picked up on his way in. She heard him mumbling under his breath as he wrote the notes and she felt herself tense as she waited for what he had to say. She hated doctors, always had. It wasn't her favourite place to be and she avoided it at all costs. She'd only been to the doctors a handful of times since University when a bout of bronchitis had sent her in for a chest infection - with the exception of the prenatal care she had received during both pregnancies. Dr. Paterson's voice broke through her thoughts and she turned her attention to the man beside her.

"How are you feeling now Miss Berry?" he questioned as he put the clipboard down on the small table beside her.

"My head hurts," she mumbled. Her voice felt strained against the words she was speaking, her lips were dry and her mouth parched. She stuck her tongue out slowly to wet the chapped skin and winced when she touched a sore spot that appeared to have a touch of dried blood on her lip. She blinked slowly as the sound of blood rushed to her ears and she forced herself to close her eyes as the light overhead began to sting her eyes.

"It's okay, take a deep breath," Dr. Paterson encouraged.

"My head hurts," she repeated. Dr. Paterson nodded along to the words she was saying. It seemed to her that he understood and maybe knew why.

"When you came in by ambulance yesterday you were unconscious," he started. Rachel sucked in a breath and felt her fingers slowly try to grasp the blanket. Pain from the lack of movement spiked through her extremities. "A team of nurses and myself examined you from head to toe. The EMT's had stabilized your neck and head, along with an IV that we've continued to run. Through the evaluation it was determined that your left knee was out of place, and once a thorough x-ray of your body and a CT on your head were finished we upped your sedation to re-position the knee back into place. As you've noticed it's been casted, along with your left arm in which the x-ray determined that you have fractured the ulna bone," Dr. Paterson paused to hold up his own arm and show her where the bone was located. Rachel's lip trembled and her chest shuddered as she tried to hold in the sob that was lingering in her chest. The pressure of holding back the sob caused her ribs and lungs to ache and it burst forward when she couldn't hold it in any longer. Dr. Paterson gave her a small frown and handed her a tissue from the box that was sitting beside him. She used her right hand to dab at her eyes, wincing at the ache it caused.

"The X-rays also revealed that you have broken two ribs, which we have bandaged to keep them in place."

Rachel slowly nodded. She rolled her head a little bit to the center of the pillow and closed her eyes for a minute as she took in everything he was saying to her. Her lip continued to tremble as she closed her eyes and the tears continued to leak from the corners of her eyes.

"You should know Miss Berry," he continued. "that you did not stop breathing throughout the evaluation or at all during the time which you were sedated or unconscious. That in itself is a blessing."

Rachel opened her eyes and turned to him. "Please call me Rachel," she whispered, interrupting before Dr. Paterson could continue. "Please."

Dr. Paterson nodded. "Of course. An orthopedic doctor will be following you closely for the injuries you sustained to you knee and arm. But we are also quite concerned about some injuries you have sustained to your head. During the CT that we did during your evaluation, we were able to rule out significant injuries. There was no swelling or significant blood on the brain which is a good sign. There was however, a sizeable injury on the back of your head which we had to close during your sedation with staples."

She wrenched her free arm to the back of her head immediately, causing a cringe to cross her features when she moved too fast. Her fingers grazed the area of her scalp where she could feel the few staples along the back of her head. She dropped her hand down after a moment and sighed.

"It shouldn't leave a scar, and if it does it should be covered long term by your hair." She nodded. Her mind was too distracted by the thought of everything she had endured.

"We are most concerned it seems, about the possibility that you have suffered a stage three concussion. Because you lost consciousness for a significant amount of time by our count, and as I said the CT showed no other evidence of fractures or bleeding on your brain, we have determined a concussion is possible. We will be monitoring you closely the next few days to determine any side effects."

She could barely keep up with the words he was speaking. Her head swam and she was beginning to feel dizzy from all the information but now she wasn't so sure what the feeling was from.

"The most important take away Miss...Rachel," he caught himself. "Is that it is most important that you get some rest. We have treated all of your injuries to the necessary extent at the moment and will continue to keep up with a pain medication regiment that will help keep you comfortable so you can heal. You're on the road to recovery Rachel. It's just going to take some time."

She nodded. Her throat was thick with emotion, her eyes filled with more tears. She felt overwhelmed by the information, overwhelmed by the thought of everything _Brody_ had done to her.

"When can I go home?" she asked quietly. "I need to go home to my girls..."

Dr. Paterson's lips formed a firm line. "In order for discharge several things need to be stabilized. At the moment we're most concerned about your head, as well as the amount of pain you have been experiencing. The doctors on your case will meet to establish a plan for discharge. I would expect if all goes as planned it will be within a few days. Now, there are a few other professionals who would like to speak to you, a representative from the social work department would like to speak to you first. But I am going to recommend they hold off for a little while so you can get some rest. I've loaded you down with a lot of important information. Is that okay?"

She gently nodded. A rest sounded good. She needed time to absorb everything he had just told her. Her head pounded and her arm ached along with her ribs. She wanted to be alone right now, not answer more questions.

"Do you have any questions? Myself as well as the other doctors will be by daily to check on your progress."

"No," she murmured. "I just...I want to sleep."

Dr. Paterson turned down the lights on his way out, allowing for a more calming atmosphere in the room. But the softer lights didn't do much for the speed of her heart and the way her mind was turning over the information in her head. He had turned up her medication before leaving, and she waited with baited breath for the liquid gold to spread through her tired and achy parts. She blew out a shaky breath between her chapped lips, no amount of licking or water had brought her relief for the dryness. She desperately needed lip balm, and for a brief second she wondered if that was something she could bother Jessica to bring her. Her breath hitched in that moment, her thoughts halting as fresh tears burned in her eyes. Her lip trembled beyond her control and her good hand, if she could call it that because of the IV, trembled at the same speed. A sob burst forward in that moment as the reality and gravity of everything she had been through in the last 24 hours seemed to come crashing down like an anvil. It was so much to process all at once, almost too much to bear as Dr. Paterson's words played over and over in her mind like a movie reel, only they were inter-spliced with foggy memories of what he had done to her. When she closed her eyes she could see his menacing face above her as he slammed her head against the floor over and over. She saw him cornering her against the door and winding up to kick her in the knee, both memories punctuated by the feelings in her tired and battered body. Another sob rocked her body as she finally let go of everything she was feeling, everything she had blocked out until now. The heaving of her chest caused what she now knew were her broken ribs to ache and the intense twinge did nothing more but cause her to cry harder. She sobbed until her voice was hoarse and her eyes burned. She cried even though she thought she had no tears left. She just cried until finally, she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

She knew she didn't pass out, because every so often she heard the door open and close. She had a habit of sleeping lightly, and being in the hospital and so unguarded intensified that. So every time the hinges of the door creaked she quietly waited to see who it was before allowing herself to relax. Each time it was a nurse, checking on her, making sure she was okay and comfortable. If she had passed out she knew she wouldn't remember the checks, because there were periods in her memory that she didn't remember from the past 24 hours. Her sleep was restless, and by the time she heard a tray being slid onto the table beside her she decided to finally stop fighting the inevitable. She waited until she heard the soft padding of the rubber soled shoes to retreat before she opened her eyes. The aroma of the lunch overwhelmed her senses, and her stomach rumbled at the thought of eating something. She couldn't remember the last time she ate, and as she moved herself up on the bed a little she whimpered as she moved her hips and jostled her leg. The pain wasn't as great as before her nap, the medication must have been doing its job. But once she was sitting up enough, her lip trembled when she realized the table was a little too far for her to reach. Tears unintentionally burned in her eyes as she stared at the tray of food on the table. She forced her eyes closed as she gave into her own tears once more. She couldn't even feed herself. The idea of being helpless burned in her chest as she became overwhelmed by a flood of tears. She felt helpless. And she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

* * *

A kind black woman in a pant suit knocked on her door sometime after a nurse had come to help her eat. Even though there was a clock in front of her, she had lost all concept of time. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy once more, and for a brief second she wondered if this was her new normal. She knew nothing of concussions and head injuries, but common sense told her that the exhaustion she felt was linked to the ordeal she had just been through.

"Hello Rachel, my name is Mercedes Jones and I'm one of the social workers here at Brooklyn Hospital," the kind woman came a step closer and Rachel could only nod her head. She chewed her lip as she looked down at her lap, her good hand coming to play with some loose threads at the top of her blanket. She heard the woman place something on the floor beside the chair and make a move to sit down.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of them. Rachel refused to look up, not wanting to meet the eyes of the woman beside her, kind or not, on her side or not. Given the experience she had had with social workers the last few days - she couldn't finish the thought without her throat swelling and getting thick as tears seemed to build. She felt the woman - Mercedes - eyes on her for a moment and she felt like she wanted to drown.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk Rachel," Mercedes started gently. "I know you must be in a lot of pain right now, so I won't stay long today."

Rachel heard Mercedes shuffle in the chair beside her, but didn't turn to look at the woman beside her. "As a social worker, I'm here to support you. All of us are here to support you, help you and keep you safe." When Rachel didn't turn to look at her, Mercedes continued. "Are you comfortable Rachel? Is there anything I can get you right now?"

Rachel dragged her eyes, finally, to look over at the kind woman beside her. But she didn't say anything else.

"I know it's hard right now Rachel, but it's going to be okay. We're going to make sure of it," Mercedes affirmed. "We are here, for you."

* * *

 _She was running. She felt her feet moving, but she didn't know where she was going. She didn't recognize where she was, her surroundings didn't look familiar. She was running for her life, and she heard feet behind her. She felt heat on her back and she didn't want to stop running. Her chest heaved and burned but she kept running. She heard the feet catching up to her and in response she tried to get herself to move faster. But the floor seemed to open up and become sludge, making it hard for her feet to move._

 _And then the screams started._

 _"Mommy, Mommy! Help us Mommy!"_

 _She tried to turn her body, run back in the direction she heard the voices coming from. She whipped her head around and found her girls standing amongst flames, their shrieks and cries almost muffled by the roars. Her heart sped up in her chest as she tried to turn around and get to them. She heard Ayla's sobs while Ione continued to shout her name. Until it stopped. She looked up and saw Brody holding her up by her arm, the arm he had grabbed a few nights ago. The look of terror on Ione's face said it all..._

* * *

Rachel's eyes flew open and her breath rushed forward. She fought against the IV that was restraining her against the bed as she tried to slow her racing heart. It was a dream, it was all a dream. Her lip trembled and her hands shook as a few tears spilled out of her eyes. She clenched them shut against the light and tried to steady her breath. The girls were okay, she tried to tell herself. They were at school. They were safe. Her heart beat didn't slow because thoughts of how Brody had found them at the school flew through her mind and a scream ripped from her lips, combined with a sob as the same feeling of helplessness took over. Sobs ravaged her whole body, and her chest heaved.

"Rachel, Rachel, it's okay. Rachel..."

She recognized that voice. She caught herself mid sob and her chest seized. Her head flopped to the side violently at the sounds, and the voice that sent jolts through her veins.

She blinked a handful of times and as her eyes focused on the two older people sitting beside her, hands clasped together as they perched on their seats she felt the sob she had caught in her throat erupt as her eyes came face to face with two people she had never imagined to see at her bedside.

Her parents.

The sob that came tumbling forth felt like it was destined to split her vocal chords, her chest, her heart - anything. She sobbed until her throat couldn't make another sound, until she felt the dryness envelope her being. She felt the tears running down her cheeks as she looked at her parents and watched through glassy and tear-filled eyes as her Mom's cheeks in an instant seemed to become a flood of her own tears. The older woman, took only a moment to lean forward and try to touch her - but against her own volition, Rachel flinched and pulled her good hand back.

"Rachel," her mom's voice was soft, laced with the tears that had yet to start flowing down her cheeks. "Rachel it's me...it's...me...Mom."

Rachel dug her teeth into her lip as she turned head away from her parents, piercing hard enough to draw blood from the cut that hadn't yet had enough time to heal to protect itself. She closed her eyes tightly as she heard her parents whisper to each other; soothing words that only forced her heart and chest to ache. Her own lip trembled as she squeezed her eyes closed tighter, the throbbing in her eye nothing against the ache she felt elsewhere.

"Oh sweetheart," she heard her Mother hiccup. She felt her mother's cold, clammy hand come in to contact with her wrist just then - and this time she didn't flinch.

She cried as she felt her mother rub her thumb up and down her wrist, avoiding the IV line and her fingers all at once. "It's okay. It's going to be okay..." she whispered.

Rachel slowly turned her head once more so she was facing her parents. Her lip trembled as she slowly blinked and allowed her eyes to focus once more.

"Mom," she whimpered slowly. Her eyes welled when she watched her Mom's eyes well once again. "How...how did you..." her words came out in a slurred stumble. Her voice starts to raise an octave as the tears burned. "How did you..."

She broke down in that moment. The sobs took over in an instant and she couldn't control them, though she wasn't doing the greatest job of holding them back before. Her mom was out of her seat immediately in a blink, her arm gently enveloping her around her head in a way that didn't disrupt her too much. She grabbed her hand in that moment and squeezed as she just lets herself cry.

She hadn't seen her parents in years. She wasn't sure in that moment how they got there, how they knew where to find her but for just a second all the questions she had, that burned on her tongue were pushed to the very back of her mind. She whimpered as she felt her mother brush her fingers through her surely tangled hair, wincing only when she got close to the tender spot of her head where the staples were. Her mother pulled back almost immediately, but Rachel squeezed her hand tighter as she forced her eyes open.

"I got you sweetheart," she whispered. And the sobs started anew.

Her parents didn't like Brody. They'd met him once, shortly before she was due to move to New York with him. The abuse had already started, but it was easy to hide. A punch here, a trip there, expensive cover-up and strategically placed bracelets and other jewelry (that he usually bought her after a beating) kept her covered mostly. They had begged her, during that trip - not to follow him to New York. Even though they lived in Ohio and New York was actually closer, they didn't like the idea of her uprooting herself and Ione to follow him. She had fought back then. Firmly believing that a better job, even more money, a change of scenery - anything - would be better for her growing family.

She sobbed as her mother held her, her father still sat stoically in his chair. Her mother continued to run her fingers through her hair in a soothing manner.

She hadn't seen them since that day. For a few months she'd stayed in contact, sending Ayla's birth announcement through the mail - keeping up with them until things really got bad. She shivered as the memory of the first real beating she got after she'd given birth to Ayla, the way she felt as he punched her in the face - he had left marks on her skin - it had started because he had seen her parents repeated calls on her phone. He had gone out and gotten her a new cell phone the next day, as she stayed in and tended to the girls. The calls had stopped shortly after that. He had changed her number then, and without words forbade her from contacting them again.

Their moment was interrupted when a firm knock came at the door. Rachel went rigid in her mother's arms. She watched with wide eyes as her father stood up silently and went to the door. He squared his shoulder's before opening the door. In that moment, strangely enough, Rachel felt her first wave of comfort; the first in what felt like years.

But what she hadn't anticipated was her father coming back into the main part of the room, followed by two police officers. He wordlessly sat back down in his chair while the two uniformed officers stood to the side. Rachel tried to sit up and grimaced when she moved her arm. Her mother clasped her hand tighter as the two officers took a step forward, the one with the kind eyes that she remembered from the day before pulled a notebook out of her pocket.

"Rachel Berry? May we speak with you for a few minutes? About what happened yesterday?" She didn't remember the officer with the kind eye's name, but the green eyes and black hair were what reassured her it was the same woman.

"Rachel?" her mother breathed as she turned to face her. Rachel saw the questions etched on her features.

Her father's voice broke through before she had a chance to say anything to the officers in front of her. "We're not leaving. I'm not leaving my daughter." He stood up, towering over her and coming to stand beside her mother, between her and the officers. He crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't look at her. It was a stance she had seen many times when she was younger, it had made her feel protected and loved. She wasn't sure what it made her feel now.

"Sir, we just want to ask her a few questions regarding..." the taller, darker, male officer stated. "We have some reports that we need to fill out and..."

"Can't it wait?" her father responded. "She's just woken up and my wife and I..."

"Daddy," she tried, softly. "Daddy, it's okay..."

Her father turned on his heel to face her for a second. In that first moment she saw the protective look in his eyes. She was immediately taken back in that moment to when she was smaller, when she was just like her girls. Her lip trembled.

"Daddy, I can," she swallowed hard. "I can talk to them..."

"Songbird," he sighed, his voice flowing around the childhood nickname she had been given. Her lip trembled.

She had waited years to hear that again. She cried, with the officers standing awkwardly around the three of them for a few moments as her father bent at the waist and carefully enveloped her in a hug. "It's okay Daddy," she whimpered. "I'm okay."

* * *

Her parents left, hesitantly at best, to go get a coffee while she spoke to the officers. They had fretted over her in the moments before they left, her mother especially, fixing her blanket and making sure she was comfortable.

"We won't stay long this afternoon, Miss. Berry," the one officer started. "You may not remember us, but I'm Officer Buckley and this is my partner Officer Duncan. We were..."

"The officers who saved me last night," Rachel answered softly. Her eyes dropped to the fringe of her blanket.

Both Officer Buckley and Officer Duncan gave her a small, professional smile. "We just have a few questions about yesterday. Do you feel well enough to answer them for us?"

She bit her lip slightly, curling her fingers around the blanket for support. She half wished she hadn't asked her parents to leave. But she didn't want them to hear what had happened. Not yet. Not like this.

"Miss Berry?" Officer Buckley stated. "Are you up to it?"

"Yes." The word slipped from her lips quickly, before she could think about it further. She took a deep breath and tried to suppress the grimace the act caused for her ribs. "I am. For a little bit..."

Both Officer Buckley and Officer Duncan nodded before they each turned back to the notebook Officer Buckley held out.

"Now Miss Berry, why don't we start at the beginning. What do you remember about the incident that occurred in your apartment yesterday?"

* * *

Her parents brought back armloads of magazines, flowers and even a crocheted blanket. She tried to smile at the gesture, but it felt foreign with the tears running down her cheeks. She lifted her good arm to wipe at the tears that were starting to dry on her cheeks.

"What's all this?" she questioned quietly as they put the gifts down on any available space they could find in the small room. She watched as her dad brought the flowers down on the ledge. Her mother flittered around the room, before finally settling down in the chair she had abandoned earlier. Rachel watched as she rubbed her hands over her jean covered legs. She remembered it being her mother's nervous tick, something to do with her hands when she didn't know what else to do.

"Just a few things...you know...keep you occupied," her mother tried. "You've got to be bored..."

Rachel slowly nodded. She hadn't had time to be bored. She'd slept away most of her boredom. She was fighting against her sleep right now, but she wanted more than anything to just _be_ with her parents right now. The tears welled in her eyes as her Dad returned to his seat and casually slung his arm around her mother.

"Oh Rachel, sweetheart don't cry," her mother soothed. She moved forward in moments, pulling her chair so she was just sitting on the edge of her chair. She raised her hand to brush her tears.

"I'm okay," she whispered. She forced a smile to her lips. "I'm just really glad to see you right now..."

Her mother brushed her hair back gently, and stared at her intently.

"Mom," she started quietly.

"I just want to look at you for a minute," she whispered. "Your poor face baby," she whispered. She gently dragged her finger over the bruises and swollen areas of her face.

"I'm okay," she tried again. "I'm just so glad to see you guys," she whispered. "I don't understand though how..."

"Don't worry about that now, sweetheart," her mother cooed. "What matters is that we're together now and we're here to help you through...through this," she trailed off as her eyes turned to look at her casted arm and leg. "Isn't that right Leroy?" Her mother turned back to look at her husband. "Leroy?"

"Yes," he shook his head as he pulled his chair forward as well. "We're here with you, we're together..." his voice trailed off as he leaned forward and gently patted the bed beside her.

A hush fell over the three of them for a few beats. Rachel's mind swirled as she stared at her parents, the unanswered questions were running rampant. She had so many questions but she couldn't find the voice to ask them. She just felt...she just felt relief. She sighed as she leaned back on her bed more comfortably and closed her eyes for a moment to rest them from the overhead lights.

"Do you need me to turn down the lights sweetheart?" her mother pressed.

"I'm okay Mom," she answered slowly, with her eyes still closed. "I just need a minute..."

She couldn't see it, but she knew her mother nodded. Memory told her that.

"Shelby, we need to ask her..." she heard her father complain through hushed tones."If it was that son of a bitch who did this to our baby I'm going to..."

Rachel opened her eyes slowly and turned to look at her parents. They were turned towards each other, their heads close. She swallowed hard before turning away, her eyes glancing at the clock on the wall. It was later than she thought, and she wondered if Jessica would bring the girls by. As she yawned, she thought about how she should call her to check up on them - see how things were going. Her heart hurt when she thought about the girls.

"Rachel," her attention was drawn back to her parents.

"Songbird, who did this to you?" Leroy asked directly. She watched as he squared his shoulders just like he had done when he answered the door for the police. She was taken back in that moment to the way he had looked at her when they tried to talk her out of going to New York. As her parents only child, she was used to them being overbearing and protective. Now she wished she had let them be. Maybe she wouldn't be in this position now...

Her father leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Was it...was it him Songbird?"

Rachel felt her throat tighten as she met her father's gaze. She thoughtlessly pulled at a few loose threads on her blanket with her good hand.

"Daddy," she started. Her voice went soft and she dropped her eyes. She felt the tremble in her lip and the tears starting in the corners of her eyes. She found it hard to believe she had anymore tears to cry. "Daddy," she whimpered as the tears started to spill. She leaned her head back on the pillow once more and closed her eyes as sobs started all over again. That was all her parents needed to know.

Rachel heard one of the chairs scrape against the floor, and she flinched at the noise. But she still didn't open her eyes.

"I'm going to kill him, Shelby. I'm going to kill him," she heard her father seethe.

"Leroy," her mother's voice held a warning tone and Rachel squeezed her eyes tighter in response.

"Shelby, he DID this to her. Look at her!" he snapped.

"Leroy," she tried again.

"Shelby, I can't just sit here and..."

His voice became muffled to her in that moment, and as Rachel opened her eyes, she was able to see her father stomp out of the room.

"Mom?" she called quietly. Her mother's back was to her, facing the door. In that moment she turned on her heel and offered her a big smile.

Shelby straightened her sweater and took a deep breath before taking a step forward to be closer to her once more.

"Daddy just needed to step out for a moment," she smiled, trying to reassure herself at the same time. Rachel could see the concern in her eyes. "He'll be back. It's okay." She patted the side of her bed, and used her hands to smooth out the blanket.

They were quiet for a moment as Rachel watched her mother. She wouldn't meet her eyes for a few minutes, focusing on the blanket and other menial things for a few minutes. "Daddy will be back," she repeated. Shelby pulled her eyes up to face her in that moment. She saw her mother's features falter for a moment as she stared at her. Rachel knew the bruises held her attention, and she could sense all the questions her mother wanted to ask but she held her tongue.

Her Mom's eyes lit up after a moment, interrupting her train of thought. "How are the girls!?" she exclaimed suddenly. Her hand went to her chest. "They must be gorgeous! And so big!" she clapped almost too excitedly. "Tell me! Oh I can't wait to see them!"

Rachel pushed a long breath through her lips. "They're...they're amazing and..." her voice trailed off for a moment while she tried to determine how exactly to describe her perfect girls to her mother. "They're just so good," she murmured. "They're the reasons I stayed," she revealed quietly.

* * *

Her father returned after some time, his eyes red rimmed and his fists clenched. It was a different image than she was used to, than she remembered from her younger years. It seemed like such a distant time ago now, when things were more simple. She couldn't help it as she looked at her father, with his squared shoulders and his need to feel and look tough and together - her lip trembled and her eyes watered but she tried to keep it in. Her mother had gone out into the hallway to answer a phone call and she had a minute to just be with her father.

"Daddy," she whispered. She didn't mean for it to come out like that, so soft and childlike and _sad_. She couldn't help it if that's all she felt at the moment - every ounce of her body felt it.

"Songbird," he murmured. He took a tentative step forward before turning his head and looking back. Most likely to see if her mother was coming in.

They had been close, growing up. The three of them were a tight little unit and nothing was a secret. They did everything together. Everything until she went to school and she let _him_ come in between them. A wash of disappointment flooded over her and she dropped her eyes to her hands.

He approached her, but didn't sit down on the chair he had vacated hours ago. He stood next to her, before he knelt so that he was eye-level with her. She cringed because for a nanosecond she worried about his knees that had always been bad. But it changed when he reached forward and gently took her hand in his.

"It's going to be okay, Rachel," he sighed as he squeezed her hand gently. "Mom and I are going to take care of everything - everything is going to be okay."

She didn't say a word, Because as she looked at her Dads eyes, for a minute she believed it was true.

A commotion in the hallway caused the moment to break. Her father stood up and brushed off his knees as her mother came fluttering back into the room, a calm smile on her features.

"Well, that was Aunt Nancy - she sends you her love for a speedy recovery," her mother smiled. "She's taking care of our dog - Baxter is his name," she smiled. "She just wanted to check in." She approached the bed and stood beside her dad. Rachel tried to smile. She hadn't seen her Aunt Nancy in years.

The clamor in the hallway got louder, and Rachel could almost hear Ayla's voice in the hallway. Rachel tried to sit up on her own, and in an instant her father's hand was around hers, and helped her sit up. She smiled at him gratefully as they all waited with baited breath for the door to open. She chewed her lip as she stared at the door. She felt herself start to hyperventilate. She had only seen them last night, but she had to know - had to see for her own eyes - that they were still okay. Her heart raced as the door opened and the girls slowly started to walk in.

Her eyes watered when the girls walked in, Jessica behind them. Both of them carried handfuls of flowers, their backpacks still firmly attached to their backs. Their clothes were different, new, and she suddenly felt very grateful for the friend she had in Jessica. She had thought of everything in such a small timeframe.

But the girls stopped short in the doorway when they saw her parents, who to them were complete strangers.

"Mom..." Ione's voice was quiet, and she could barely hear it over the bunch of flowers she had pulled up to her chin.

"I'm here baby," she answered quietly. "It's okay to come closer," she tried to encourage. "It's okay..."

She watched as Ione lowered the flowers and stared at her from where she was standing. Rachel lifted her arm as the girls gazes continued to pierce her skin. Ione took the first step forward, and she heard her mother audibly sigh as she took the tentative steps forward.

"Mr. Hudson's in the hallway," she murmured. "He drove us cause it's raining," she mumbled as she shifted the bunch of flowers in her hands. "Says its going to get icy cause it's not supposed to rain this much in January," she rambled. "These are for you...I picked them out and Ayla has some too..."

Her voice trailed off then, as if the reality of the moment was catching up with her. Her eyes dropped as she clutched the stems.

"Mom," she asked quietly. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Who are these people?"

Rachel reached her hand out and gently pushed the loose strands of her hair back. Jessica had obviously done her hair this morning, a messy french braid was what was left. She smiled slowly as she tucked it behind her ear with her good hand. Her parents had taken a seat and pushed their chairs back when Ione had approached. Rachel could feel their gazes on them, and she noted the tremble in Ione's hands.

"Ione, they're...they're my parents," she answered quietly. Ione gave her a critical look. "It's okay. They're here...they're here to help us..." Ione still looked unsure but turned her head to slowly catch first Shelby's and then Leroy's eyes. Her head whipped back and caught Rachel's. Her eyes were wide and she could see the wheels turning.

"Mom," her voice dropped again.

"Ione," she whispered. "Everything is going to be fine."

But Ione didn't look too sure.

Ayla came forward then, while Jessica hung back at the doorway, leaning her shoulder on the wall. Rachel could sense the hesitation in her steps. She tried to give her an encouraging smile, the same smile she had given Ione but Ayla's steps seemed to be slow. Calculated. It made Rachel want to cry.

"I brought you flowers too Mommy," she whispered. "Pink ones. Because pink is my favourite colour and I wanted you to remember that."

Rachel chuckled slowly as she raised her good hand to wipe at the tears that had sprang to her eyes. "They are gorgeous, baby. Both of them are. Ione, do you think you can put them down next to the ones Nana and Papa brought?" She looked over Ione's head and watched as a small, touched smile played on her mother's lips and her hand went to clutch her chest.

Ione slowly nodded, but continued to give a critical and protective glance the entire way.

"Are they Nana and Papa, Mommy?"Ayla asked quietly when Ione made it back to her side. Rachel moved to push her hair behind her ear, much in the same fashion that she had done for Ione moments before.

"Yeah. They're Nana and Papa," she whispered.

Her mother's chair scraped against the floor and she stood up, taking the one step it would take to cross the space. She knelt down in front of them, but didn't say anything. The room was silent, save for the beeping that came from the monitors beside her bed. Rachel waited with baited breath for someone to say something, her Mom, the girls, even her Dad. But everyone stood still, wordlessly starring at each other - the girls no doubt sizing up the woman in front of them.

"You look just like Mommy," Ayla whispered first, her hands twitching at her sides.

Ione remained quiet. Rachel could see from her vantage point that she was chewing her lip.

"What took you so long to come help us?" Ione stammered quietly before the tears erupted and she ran for the door, Jessica on her heels.


	10. Chapter 9

Well hello all you wonderful, wonderful people, I hope this update finds you well! I'm sorry it took so long, but I seem to be keeping up my pattern of an update a month. A lot of time, energy and thought goes into each update to make sure that its as realistic as possible. The past few weeks have been insanely busy with work and as we speak, I'm getting ready to go to see Lauren for FIVE whole days! So I apologize in advance if the next update is a little longer to come together. In addition to being on vacation for the next five days with no computer access (a conscious choice of mine), the following two weeks at work are going to be busy with covering others vacations. So I hope that this update satisfies your craving for this universe - the update contains a lot of movement for ALL of our favourite players so hopefully you enjoy it! Special thanks to Lauren for her help, and to my mom for reading this late at night last night so I can post for you all before I leave.

Enjoy the show!

* * *

 **Chapter 9  
** She just wanted to get out of there. As tears blurred her eyes, Ione raised her hand to her face to push some of her hair from her eyes. She felt her eyes burning as she ran, trying her best to duck and dodge around the nurses and other patients she saw in the hallway. Her chest heaved as she tried not to sob, but she sucked in a deep breath when she came directly into contact with someone. Her lip trembled as Mr. Hudson's hands came down to touch her shoulders and her breath came out in a shudder as she turned her watery eyes up to him. She had known Jessica was following her the entire way, she had heard her calling her name and the squeak of the rubber soles of her boots. But she didn't stop until she collided with Mr. Hudson at the other end of the hallway, all of her resolve and strength falling apart as she was hit with familiarity. She heard his voice rumble over her head that he had her, before Jessica's feet began to retreat and her sobs started again. She let Mr. Hudson gently guide her down the hallway, before they came to a stop at a small room with some couches and a vending machine.

"Do you want a drink?" Mr. Hudson asked softly as she heard him sit down beside her. She sniffled and rubbed her nose before shaking her head no.

"I'm okay," she whispered.

Finn sat beside Ione quietly, waiting for her to say something. He listened to her sniffle every few seconds, interspersed with rubbing her nose. He knew she would talk when she was ready, something he had learned over the course of the last few months.

He turned his attention to her when he heard her shuffle in her seat, tugging her knees up to her chest.

He almost missed it, when she started to talk a few minutes later.

"There's strange people in my Mom's room," she murmured.

"Strange people?" he asked slowly, trying to clarify what she said. He thought quickly about who it potentially could have been; the laundry list of people from the hospital was long - ranging from nurses to social workers and more. He didn't know what the situation was, with Rachel and the girls completely, but he knew in his heart that it was serious. So the strange people could really be anyone.

Ione nodded, her chin jostling against her knees. "Strange people that I've never seen before."

Her chin dipped further into her knees and Finn briefly wondered how she was able to do so bundled up in her winter jacket. "Did you ask your Mom who they were?"

She sighed and sniffed, before she rubbed her face against the fabric of the jeans she wore.

"She said they were her parents..." she turned her head so her cheek was resting on her knee. "She said they were Nana and Papa," she added quietly. "I don't know what it means to have a Nana and Papa..."

Finn took a deep breath. He ran his fingers through his hair for a moment, trying to gather what to say. The sadness in her eyes broke him then, as she stared back at him with her watery green eyes.

"Why did it take them so long to come find us, Mr. Hudson?" she whispered. "Aren't Nana's and Papa's supposed to help you, when your Mom and Dad can't?"

"Yeah, they are supposed to..." he breathed. "But they're here now."

She sat up then, stretching her legs out in front of her for a moment. She curled up on her chair again, but this time she leaned into his arm that was resting on the chair beside her. He didn't flinch at the action.

Finn looked down after a few minutes, as the quietness enveloped him. Ione quietly sniffled, but her tears had stopped with just a few stray tears and tracks lining her cheeks. She sighed heavily against his arm after a moment.

He waited another minute longer before gently nudging her with his arm. When she sat up and looked at him, Finn offered her a small smile. "What do you say we head back to the room, see what your Mom and Ayla are doing?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of heading back to the room.

"I'm sure your Mom wants to see you before I take you back to Jessica's..."

Her lip trembled once more as he stood up from his chair. He could see the hesitation in her eyes. Instead of sitting back down beside her, he extended his hand out for her to take.

"Come on, I'll come with you..." he promised.

A small smile played on her lips despite the evidence of tears on her cheeks and slowly slid off her chair to join him. She tugged his hand to stop before they left the room.

"Don't leave me, okay?" she whispered, with a shake to her words.

"I won't," he sighed before tugging her forward. "I'm sure your Mom misses you."

* * *

Finn lifted the bottle of beer his mother had placed in front of him to his lips and took a swig. He had been on his way home, dreaming of sitting on his plush leather couch and doing the very thing that he was doing right now - but instead he was here. He had unconsciously driven here, and parked his SUV in the driveway behind his mother's Range Rover and his step father's Audi. He placed the beer bottle down on the table as his mother cleared her throat.

"Is it okay, Finn?" Carole asked quietly, before cutting her own food. "If I had known you were coming for dinner I would have..."

Finn lifted the corner of his lips in a half smile. "It's great Mom. Perfect as always."

Carole smiled back with a gentle nod of her head. Finn watched as she threw a side glance at Burt, his step father before going back to her own meal. Finn reached for his beer once more to wash down the piece of steak after he lifted it to his mouth.

"How's work going son?" Burt asked when the silence of the room enveloped them. Finn chewed thoughtfully for a moment before looking over at his step father.

"It's going," he shrugged. "The first few weeks back from break are always quiet but I'm sure that's about to change soon enough."

"We were quite concerned about you the other night, not like you not to show up for dinner...especially a meal at Ivy," Burt chuckled as he reached for his beer. "You were missed. We were subjected to endless stories about Kurt's receptionist and her bad taste in men," Burt shook his head. "Could have used your opinion on the Islanders."

Finn shrugged once more. "Sorry I missed that."

"Did everything work out that night?" Carole asked quietly. "With your student?"

Finn swallowed the invisible sip of beer he had in his mouth.

He didn't know how to answer that question. Frankly because he didn't really know the answer to it, because as far as he knew the situation was far from over. He also knew his mother, the way she was, her line of work. He had come for comfort, a way to distract himself from thinking about Ione and her family's situation -something that has consumed his thoughts from the moment she entered his classroom in September.

"Everything...everything is fine," he started softly. He grabbed for his beer and this time took a long pull of the liquid to sooth his racing thoughts. '"Everyone is safe, everything is fine."

He glanced across the table and found his mother staring at him, her fork in her hand clutched tightly. He could see the questions dancing across her features. She was never one to shy away from the tough questions, and he tried to keep work at work but the situation was burning him alive. He knew he had done the right thing, calling CPS a few days ago but the look in Ione's eyes, the way Rachel had looked each time he saw her in the hospital burned him to the core and innately he felt somewhat responsible. He had driven here tonight unconsciously because he needed the distraction desperately but he knew his mother was going to try to get it out of him. And he needed to talk about it.

The moment came after dinner. Burt offered to load the dishwasher and his mother grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the main floor office that had been hers for as long as Finn could remember. He dropped his full weight on the dotted arm chair and instantly rested his hands on his knees. Instead of sitting herself on the opposite side of the large desk, Carole sat herself on the matching chair beside him and immediately reached for his hand.

Instead of talking, Finn took a deep breath and hung his head so it was faced toward the ground. His mother waited in silence, waited for him to come to her. He remembered moments just like this throughout his childhood - whenever he had needed to talk she would just calmly sit beside him until he was ready to talk - and then the questions would start.

"So I had to make, 'the call', the other day," he sighed after the silence began to eat him alive. He didn't want to reveal names, any distinguishing factors. His mother was good at her job, and he was probably crossing lines by telling her this much but he needed to get it out - needed to talk - it was too much - he felt too much.

"Okay, I'm sure you did the right thing Finn...if that's what you need to hear," she answered calmly. She started to run her fingers over the knuckles of the hand she held.

"I know I did the right thing - I just," he lifted his head and sighed before leaning back in the chair so his body was upright again. "I can't get...I can't get her out of my head."

"Finn, look at me," Carole answered calmly. He dropped his head so he was looking at her directly. "Who can't you get out of your head?"

He squinted, tightening his eyes before opening them once more and eyeing his mother. "All of them," he whispered.

"Finn," his mother warned with a sharp look. He knew that look. He had seen it before. Finn inhaled sharply before exhaling just as quickly.

"Mom, you don't understand..." he shook his head.

Carole took a deep breath. "Well make me understand then,"

And with that he started from the beginning.

* * *

Rachel wanted out of this stupid room. She was tired of looking at the same four walls, flipping between the same pages of the magazines. It was hard to flip the pages with her arm casted and the longer stayed in bed, the more the ache in her hips rose from sitting in one place so long. It had been two days and she was going to stir crazy, her emotions were at a boiling point and she just felt like she wanted to cry all the time. She leaned her head back on the bed as she tossed the magazine she had been trying to look at across the room in utter frustration, her eyes clenching as tears started to rise. She was alone, her parents hadn't arrived at the hospital even though they had promised last night to return first thing in the morning. She couldn't sleep anymore because as much as the pain medication was helping, she felt restless and unable to just sit there any longer. The more she sat, the more she stared, the more her emotions got the best of her because she couldn't focus on the pain. Her pain had been a distraction and now all that was left in its place was a feeling of frustration, of disappointment in herself, and most of all she felt anger. The tears piqued at that moment as the anger bubbled up further. She was angry about a lot of things. Anger at herself was most prominent, because she felt so stupid about all of this - how she had let everything get this far. She had let him touch Ione; had let _him_ hurt her - in more ways than one. She clenched her eyes closed tightly, her frustration and devastation over the entire situation got the best of her. She raised both her hands and groaned when she felt the hard plaster of the cast on her hand come in contact with her skin. She screamed in frustration and growled as she threw down her arm against the mattress once more, growling in anger at the wave of dull pain that rolled through her bones.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a knock tapped out on the door. She tossed her head back in frustration and squeezed her eyes tightly together in a wave of remorse, at the feeling of pain the action caused. She stumbled over her words, trying to usher whoever was on the other side in. She figured it was her parents, but when the two uniformed officers from the past two days walked more into her room she sat up more in her bed despite the ache in her hips and the throb in the back of her head.

"Miss Berry, we're hoping this is a good time," Officer Buckley started carefully as her and Officer Duncan took steps towards her.

"Now is as good a time as any," she mumbled as she adjusted herself once more on the bed. She grimaced at the ache it left.

Both of the officers came closer, and as Officer Buckley shuffled the file she was carrying, Rachel began to grow nervous. She tried to sit up a little straighter and clenched her good hand, before using her fingers to play with the edge of the frayed blanket.

"Miss Berry," Officer Buckley began. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Rachel sighed as she tangled her fingers around the edge of her blanket. "I'm okay," she started quietly. She watched as the two officers passed a look between them that she couldn't read, and she waited for what they were about to say next.

"We've made an arrest in your case, and we would like to discuss your options going forward with you," Officer Duncan began. "As you are aware, as a result of your statement from yesterday we were in pursuit of a Mr. Brody Weston, who you indicated as the perpetrator in your assault two days ago," he paused to look up from the information he was reading. "In the last 24 hours we have been able to locate Mr. Weston and have moved to arrest him. When we did locate him, Mr. Brody was intoxicated and at first resisted arrest. But he is currently in our custody and will be until he is formally charged and bail is set."

Rachel felt a rock hit the bottom of her stomach. She felt a knot form as she listened to the words they were saying to her. She stayed quiet, steeling herself against what she had just learned. She looked down at her hand, covered in the cast. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, before opening her eyes once more and focusing her vision on her casted leg. She tried to breathe through her feelings. _He did this to himself,_ she tried to remember. _He is the reason I'm like this_  
she forced herself to think. She swallowed hard and bowed her head and tried to steel herself against the emotions that were bubbling. She clenched her eyes and thought of every slap, every kick, every punch that she had endured at his hand. She took one more breath and looked at the police officers that were both trying not to stare at her too intently.

It was Officer Duncan who spoke next. "Do you still wish to press charges?"

She clenched her fingers around her blanket before letting out a shaky breath. She slowly nodded her head, before speaking quietly. "Where do I sign?"

Both of the Officers nodded before sliding a piece of paper in front of her. She signed her name hastily, with a shake to her hand.

She blew out a breath when it was finally done.

She had done it.

She took a stand.

She was going to move on with her life.

She was going to protect her girls.

She closed her eyes to embrace the feeling of relief that flooded through her. Only she felt everything but relief.  
She flinched when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jerked her head up and saw Officer Buckley staring back at her.

"You're so brave Rachel," she sighed quietly. "You're doing the right thing."

Rachel could only bite her lip and look back down at her hands.

They took pictures of her injuries after the paperwork was signed, and Rachel cringed at the thought of how they must look. She chewed her lip as Officer Duncan took photos of her casts, before asking her to turn her head so they could take pictures of her swollen eye. She felt vulnerable and exposed as the camera continued to click. She breathed a sigh of relief when they were finished. Officer Duncan left first, while Officer Buckley hung back to one again reiterate that they would be in touch with any news.

And once again she was alone.

Alone with her thoughts, alone with her pain, alone in the world. She tried not to let that thought bother her. She took a deep, cleansing breath and as she blew it out she turned her eyes to the ceiling and just stared for a few moments, taking in the moment of quiet of the moment. But it wasn't all quiet. Her mind raced with the information she had received. Brody was caught. The cops had Brody. She was safe. The girls were safe. But for how long?

She let out a gasp when the door to the room swung open and her mother rushed in, arms laddered with bags from the bakery around the corner. Her father carried a tray of hot coffees that she could smell from where she sat on the bed. She clasped her good hand to her heart as they flooded into the room and sat the items on the small table beside her.

"We brought you some treats," Shelby grinned as she fussed with the bag. "Thought you could use a few sugary things to lift your mood sweetheart." Shelby pulled out a few individual packages and put them on the table. "And maybe put a few pounds on you sweetheart," she smiled sympathetically. "We got your favourite - chocolate eclairs and a few apple fritters. They're still warm!"

Rachel blinked slowly at her mother for a few moments. Leroy made himself comfortable in his chair with his coffee and nodded at Rachel.

"How did you sleep Songbird?" he asked quietly as Shelby continued to fuss about. He turned his attention to her for a moment "Shelby, relax would you? She'll eat when she wants to." He took a swig of his coffee as he looked at Rachel.

Shelby's eyes widened as she looked at Leroy before brushing her hands over her jeans and turning to sit down beside him. She smiled apologetically at Rachel before she grabbed for her coffee and slowly opened it. Rachel could practically taste the flavour of the drink on her tongue.

Leroy lifted the cup to his lips and took a swig before placing it down on the table beside them. "How was your night Songbird?"

Rachel shrugged a little bit. "Fine," she sighed. She reached for the glass of juice that was left over from her breakfast and hesitantly took a sip. She needed the distraction for a moment.

"Is something bothering you sweetheart?" Shelby's voice raised an octave as she spoke. Rachel shook her head as she leaned over to place the juice back down.

Her mother reached forward to help her, causing Rachel's hand to jolt.

"I can do it," she snapped. Her eyes clenched when her mother pulled her hand back sharply. Shelby backed off with a stunned look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered when she saw the look on her mother's face. "Just...just been a rough morning."

"It's okay," Shelby plastered a smile on her face. "It's fine, I'm fine."

Rachel turned her head so she was looking away from her parents momentarily. She stared at the window that was still covered by the curtains that weren't much help at blocking out the winter sun. She sighed heavily, trying to bring down the racing in her heart. Her parents started whispering between themselves. She tried to block out the sounds, and squinted her eyes shut for a moment. It wasn't until she heard her name, along with the girls come up that her eyes flew open, her head snapped up and she turned to look at her parents.

"Don't say their names," she snapped as she looked back at them. Both of her parents looked at her, their jaws dropped. Her mother's shoulders dropped and her father sat up straighter. "You don't get to say their names. You don't get to pretend like you care," she snapped.

"Rachel," Leroy started. He moved to stand up to go over to her but she held up her hand.

"Don't, Dad," she stammered. Leroy backed off immediately and sat back in his chair. Shelby grabbed for his hand as Rachel stared at them.

"Songbird," he tried as Shelby squeezed his hand.

Rachel's eyes flipped between both of them, her eyes starting to water. The feeling was contradictory as she felt her fingers clench around the bar that lined the side of her bed.

"Songbird we do..."

"You don't get to say you care!" she scrambled. Her voice came out broken, speaking at a volume she hadn't spoken since the assault. It ached. "How can you sit there and pretend like...like this...like this is something you can just fix with being here," she murmured. "Where were you, huh? Where were you when he would slap me, huh?" Her lip trembled as she watched them. Neither of her parents blinked as they looked at her, waiting for the next blow. "Where were you when he would punch me because I didn't keep the girls under control? When I didn't have dinner ready on time?" She closed her eyes then, remembering as every punch, every kick flooded her mind not for the first time since she was hospitalized. "Where were you when he grabbed Ione and left finger prints that caused the school to call Child Protective Services? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU?" she screamed. Her tears were coming fast and hard now, her entire face was covered with tear tracks and was red from the effort behind her words. "I needed you and you left me...you left me and my girls and we needed you..." she heaved as she rested her head back on her pillow. She closed her eyes again, squeezing them tightly as bursts of sobs left her mouth one after another. "We needed you and you didn't come."

"Rachel," Leroy was the first to speak once she stopped screaming. She opened her eyes slowly and she watched as he stood up from his chair and squared his shoulders. She tried to move away from him as he came closer, but was restrained by the limits of her hospital bed. "Songbird, we've...we've never stopped worrying about you..." He stepped closer and tried to touch her face, but she flinched. Leroy settled for placing his hands on the bar around the bed.

"Bullshit," she spat. She tried to back herself as far away from her father on the bed. "Why didn't you..."

"Rachel," Leroy leaned forward. Rachel recognized the shake in his lip as he stared at her, the look in his eyes. He reached his hand off the bar once more and held out his hand. Her eyes followed his gesture and she didn't budge, waiting for him to make the next move. He gently moved his hand closer, using the palm of his hand to cup the side of her face. She closed her eyes at the touch and let a temporary calm envelope her and dispel the rage in her heart. "Rachel," he started. "We have wanted nothing but to see you and the girls over the last few years, nothing." She finally looked up and met her father's eyes, before quickly darting them away from them again. "We have hoped and prayed and wished..."

"So much good that did," she spat as she turned her gaze on her mother. She shook her father's touch away from her face and didn't miss the heartbroken look in his eyes. Rachel's lip trembled. "I waited. Every day in that stupid apartment in Tribeca...through colic and chicken pox and fractured ankles and bruises and burns," her emotions caught up to her. The sob rose in her throat and pushed forth. "I waited every day and you never came. So please, tell me, just tell me why now..." she paused to swallow.

"We came now because the moment that phone rang, my heart stopped," Shelby interrupted. "The moment that phone rang I felt everything fall apart in my world and simultaneously pulled back together."

"I NEEDED YOU!" she screamed. "I NEEDED YOU TO BE MY MOM. I NEEDED YOU TO BE MY DAD AND SAVE ME!" Her words failed her at that moment as deep wrenching sobs that took her over. Her shoulders shook with powerful tremors and her ribs instantly ached with the movement. "I needed you and you ignored me and I was all alone with that monster.." she sobbed. She cried until she began to dry heave, and instantly tried to suck in a breath to prevent herself from throwing up the juice she had drank.

"Leave please," she gasped as she got her breathing under control. Both of her parents were stunned. At her change of attitude, at her mood swings, at the whole situation.

"I want to be alone. Leave. Please. Now," she stammered as she turned away from them. She took a deep breath and bit her lip as she waited for her parents to respect her wishes. She waited a few beats, listening as their feet retreated from the room. She started to cry once more, when she heard her Mother start on the other side of the door.

* * *

"How are you doing today Rachel?" Mercedes asked quietly.

"Why does everyone keeping asking me that?" Rachel snapped. She turned her head to face the well dressed woman who was sitting across from her. She had asked to move to an office, a waiting room, anywhere that got her out of her room. She was going stir crazy and the fixtures in her room, the flowers and cards reminded her of the situation - reminded her of the blow out she had with her parents earlier this morning. She needed a change of scenery and Mercedes had obliged. They sat in an office of sorts, but it was sterile and impersonal. She assumed it was used for situations just like this. The wheelchair felt weird, the seat was worn, and the fake leather was pulling. It felt weird to bend her good knee, and even weirder to have her bad knee propped up. But she was out of the room, and that's all she wanted at the moment.

"Well, everyone keeps asking because we want to know how you're feeling," Mercedes paused. "And we can only find out if we ask."

"I'm just great," she sighed bitterly. "I'm trapped in this place - I don't get to see my girls like I want to - my parents are here and we just duked it out, but I'm fucking great," she spat. "Good news is Brody was arrested. We'll see how long that sticks." She turned her head for a moment to stare at the painting on the wall.

Mercedes jotted down notes as the silence filled the room, only the buzzing of the heater could be heard from the far wall.

"I want to talk to you about your future plans."

"I don't have any future plans," she spat instantaneously. "This is my future," she gestured to her leg with her bad arm, wincing as she did so.

"Yes, but you're going to be released from the hospital soon. And now that Mr. Weston has been apprehended, we should talk about what the near future looks like for you. We need to have a plan in place so I can arrange supports for you and the girls."

Rachel's eyes dropped to her lap, and she used the fingers on her good hand to play with the edge of the handle on the wheelchair.

"I've spoke with Dr. Paterson who gave me an update on your progress."

"I talked to him too. He said I was healing nicely," she replied sarcastically. "Guess I got lucky with bones that heal quickly. Sure served me well over the last few years."

Mercedes stayed quiet as she vented.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered, her voice shaking as she looked at the other woman. "It's been a hard day already and it's not even noon."

"It's okay," Mercedes offered her a smile. "It's more than okay. You've been through a lot, especially in the last few days."

Rachel nodded and swallowed.

"Why don't you tell me what Dr. Paterson said to you, about your progress?"

"He said that the team had discussed it and that my injuries were healing well enough that I would be released from the hospital early next week as long as everything continues to go as well as it has," she paused. She blinked a few times before biting her lip. Her lip trembled at the thought. As mad as she was, as angry as she was at the situation - how angry she was at Brody, at her parents, at herself even - the thought of a future that was different from what she had been living for the past 6 plus years scared her. It scared her to death.

"I...What am I going to do?" she asked quietly. She said it under her breath so lowly, that she felt like Mercedes might not have heard her.

"That's what we're going to figure out," Mercedes smiled kindly.

"I'm scared," Rachel whispered after a few minutes. "How am I going to take care of my girls like this?" she murmured with her eyes on her casted leg. She drew her lip into her mouth once more and bit down."How am I going to keep them safe?"

Mercedes leaned over and gently took her good hand. "We're going to get you the help you need. Starting with a rehabilitation hospital to get you back on your feet, while we find you and your girls safe housing."

Rachel felt a tremor make it's way through her body. She fought the urge to cry, while a wave of panic flowed through her veins. Rehabilitation, they thought she was so broken she needed another hospital stay, at another hospital. She laid her head back on reflex, but jolted when her neck pulled hard to keep her head up when she remembered that she wasn't in bed. She winced at the feeling and rubbed the back of her neck with her casted hand.

"The rehabilitation hospital was a suggestion that was made by the orthopedic doctor who has been assigned to your case, Dr. Remington. While your knee is healing, there is concern that overexerting yourself if you are moved to housing immediately would cause further injury," Mercedes tried to add gently. "It won't be for long, a few weeks at most and they have a more open visitation schedule so the girls..."

"Who will take care of them? I can't ask Jessica this has already..." her words came out in a rushed stammer, as the panic and fear that she had been trying to dam burst forth. "My girls...I need to be with them..." the sob that she had been holding back started, and tears fell from eyes at a rapid pace. "I can't go to another hospital...I need...I need to keep them safe."

Mercedes pulled a tissue out of the box that was sitting on a small table between them and handed it to Rachel. Rachel took it gratefully and wiped at her eyes while her throat swelled with emotion. "I can't."

"Rachel, it's time to concentrate on you. You need to get healthy so you can take care of your girls and you can all have the best future going forward." she paused. "Now your parents are in town..."

Rachel shook her head vehemently. "I can't ask them..." her voice quieted. "Not after I screamed at them this morning..." her voice shook with regret. "How am I supposed to trust them?" Mercedes stayed quiet. "They didn't help me when I needed it most..." she added wistfully.

Mercedes adjusted herself in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs for a moment before speaking. "Rachel, I know it's been a trying few days. And an even longer few years for you. But believe me when I say, that your parents are here now, in the present and they want to help."

"How do you know that? You don't know them. They..."

"They came," Mercedes answered simply. "They came running when they finally heard about you and the girls being in trouble. They hopped on a plane and got here as fast as they could. That must mean something, right?"

Rachel's eyes fell once again as she chewed her lip. It did mean something. It didn't mean it made the feelings of abandonment and anger disappear any quicker. She loved her parents, and she felt bad for lashing out at them but she couldn't help it. Not everything was easy and perfect, life sure wasn't and that was something she had learned over the years.

"It does. But...but it's hard," she whimpered.

"I know. But like I said, it's time to concentrate on you. We need to get you the help you need, so you can be there for your girls. And that starts with going to the rehab hospital and getting yourself better. And letting your parents be a part of that getting better..."

She closed her eyes and dropped her head, her neck aching as she did so. It was hard to let go, hard to grasp that after all these years her reality was changing.

When she looked up, Mercedes was looking over at her with a kind expression.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed, or sad, or scared, or even angry at the world, Rachel," she started. "The first step is always the hardest. But the rest of the steps will fall into place once you take the first one. And you've already done that, so let me help you take the next ones. Me and your parents."

* * *

Rachel was overwhelmed when she returned to her room. As the orderly pushed her chair back, she wrapped her arms around her middle. She winced against the pain, it was time for another dose of her pain medication and for that reason alone she couldn't wait to get to her room. She wanted a nap; her eyes felt heavy and full with tears as she thought about the upcoming few days. When the orderly pushed her into her room, she instantly felt her parents presence in the room. She dropped her head so she stared at her lap, avoiding the gazes that she felt immediately. She allowed the orderly to help her out of the wheelchair while trying her best to avoid her parents gazes.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling slightly at the orderly. He nodded, before taking the wheelchair and leaving the room completely.

A cloud of silence enveloped the three of them. Rachel took a deep, shuddering breath as she waited for the next thing to happen. She clenched her eyes closed as she waited for movement, for the next explosion, for any sense that would tell her that her parents were mad at her.  
But it never came. She opened her eyes wide with a gasp when she heard the scrape of a chair against the floor. She turned to the side and she nearly sobbed when she saw her mother standing beside her bed, her own eyes red rimmed and glassy.

"Mom," she whispered as her lip shook. She swallowed hard in an attempt to continue to speak but it became too much as her emotions took over.

"Sweetheart," Shelby whispered. "It's okay..."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. She held out her hand and waited for her Mother to take it.

"It's okay, Rachel, it's okay," her Mother's voice was laced with tears as well.

"No it's not," she let go of her Mom's hand, raising her good hand to wipe at her tears. Shelby reached over and handed her a tissue. "I said..."

"Baby, listen," Shelby started.

Rachel closed her eyes tightly and blew through her lips, trying to calm herself down. "Please don't call me that," her lips trembled. She opened her eyes and stared directly back into Shelby's. She mouthed 'sorry' back to her. "But what I mean is...there's nothing, at all to be sorry for. This is..." she swallowed. "This is on me and Dad, alright? We should have..." She paused as she cleared her throat. "But we're...we're here now and everything is going to be okay, you hear me?" Shelby reached forward and gently touched her chin. "Everything is going to be fine."

Rachel's lip trembled as her eyes watered. She met Shelby's eyes. "Promise?"

"We promise," Leroy stood up from where he was sitting quietly behind Shelby.

* * *

Ione followed quietly behind Ayla and Jessica as she walked down the hallway towards her Mom's room. She was tired, she hadn't been able to sleep well last night because her stomach hurt from the McDonald's they had had for dinner. She'd barely stayed awake during the morning, and Mr. Hudson had let her go lay down in the nurses office during recess and for the next period until lunch. She wanted nothing but her Mom.

She perked up as they got to Rachel's room and Ione allowed herself to smile. But the smile fell from her features when she saw the two people from yesterday - Nana and Papa - sitting beside her Mom's bed. She reached for Ayla's hand, but she was too late. Ayla had bounded over to her Mom's bed, regardless of the presence of the older couple. She grabbed for Jessica instead, who sighed when she touched her hand but took it anyway. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she heard Ayla start to talk to her Mom about her day, telling her some silly story that had happened during gym class. Ione couldn't bring her feet to move from behind Jessica, she felt stuck in place. Jessica tugged her hand forward when she heard someone call her name. She didn't recognize the voice. She hadn't stayed long enough to hear the man her Mom called Papa speak yesterday, and the deep tone of his voice shocked her.

"Ione, want to come sit with us?" the older man turned to her, and she tried to take off in the other direction, just like last night. But Jessica's hand pulled her back, and she stumbled into Jessica with a crash.

"Let me go!" she stammered. "Let me go!"

"Ione, sweetheart, come here," her Mom's voice broke through the sound of rushing water in her ears as she tried her hardest to pull away from Jessica. Ione paused her movements and stood still, drawing her eyes to look at her Mom.

Rachel stared back at Ione and held out a hand. Ione shook as she stepped forward, being careful to move around Nana and Papa so she could stand on the other side of the bed, opposite them. Rachel sighed and turned her body slightly, so she was sitting more in the middle of the bed so she could see everyone.

"Hi sweetheart," Rachel sighed as she looked down at Ione. She reached out her casted hand and slowly moved her fingers to brush them against her forehead. Ione still didn't look up at her. "You okay?"

Ione nodded slowly, still looking down at her feet.

"Can you say hi to Nana and Papa?" Rachel asked slowly, running her fingers over the hair she could touch.

Ione slowly lifted her head and looked at the two people across from her. She studied them for a long time, staring at the two of them. She hadn't had a lot of time to do so last night, she had been too overwhelmed. She bit her lip and watched as the woman who looked just like her Mom smiled.

"It's okay Ione," Shelby smiled gently. "We're going to get to know each other very well over the next little while."

Ione's eyes flew to Rachel's in an instant. "Mom?" she questioned as her voice shook.

When she looked across the room, she saw that Jessica had stepped out, leaving their backpacks that she had been carrying by the door. Ione started to feel her heart start to beat wildly in her chest as she looked between her grandparents, the backpacks by the door and her Mother. "Mom?" she repeated.

"Nana and Papa are just going to take you out for dinner, how does that sound?" she asked quietly.

Ione shook her head, just as Ayla started to squeal and clap her hands. She had caught the attention of Papa, who was enthusiastically talking to her about what she wanted to have for dinner. "No."

"No?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as she looked at her. "Why not?"

"I want to stay here. With you," her voice stammered. She grabbed for Rachel's hand and gently wrapped her fingers around the casted arm. "I don't want to go anywhere. I want to go to Jessica's."

"Jessica's got a busy few days coming up with work and some family stuff. So you're going to stay with Nana and Papa at the hotel..."

"No!" Ione stammered. "I don't know them Mom...I don't want to stay...I don't want to go to a hotel..."

"Ione, Ione, it's okay," Rachel tried to placate. But when she backed further away and Rachel couldn't reach her both of them started to tear up. In the moment Shelby stood up and walked around the bed, slowly walking over to her. Ione started to cry as Shelby crouched beside her. She didn't touch her at first, and everyone in the room grew quiet as they waited with baited breath for what was to come next.

"Would you like to pick the place we go to for dinner?" Shelby asked quietly. Ione stopped her tears almost immediately, stunned by the question.

"Can we get chicken fingers?" she asked quietly as she looked over at Rachel. "And can we bring something back for Mom?"

Shelby smiled as she looked over at Ione, before reaching out to touch her hand gently. Ione backed away for a second, putting space between them before taking her hand finally. "What do you think we should bring Mom?"

"She really likes tacos," Ione tentatively laughed as everyone else in the room joined in.

"And how about, since it's the weekend, we pick up a movie that, you, me, Papa and Ayla can watch when we get back to the hotel?" she tried.

Ione looked at her skeptically, before she turned to look at Rachel.

With tears in her eyes that she was desperately trying to hide and a smile plastered on her face, she nodded at Ione's gaze.

"Any movie?" Ione asked.

"Any movie," Shelby assured.

"Then okay. But we have to bring Mom her tacos first," she ascertained.

"Of course," Shelby leaned forward and whispered in Ione's ear. "And maybe we'll pick up some chocolate ice cream for her too, sound good?"

Ione slowly smiled at the suggestion before allowing her Nana to hug her for the first time.


	11. Chapter 10

Well hello! Raise your hand if you thought this was never going to happen? My hand is half raised because for awhile there, I was completely overwhelmed with new one shot (or in the case of Reach For Me, two shot ;)) ideas that I thought I was never going to get myself back to this place, this universe that is so all consuming. I love this story and this adventure so much - it hurt when I couldn't write anything or plan anything. This story has gone from one extreme to the other, and every time I have sat down to plan for it I end up writing something completely different. I'm slowly trying to be okay with that ;). Anyway - I managed to make my once a month deadline, I'm not really entirely sure how I managed to do that. This month has been completely crazy with a million hours at work, chaos that has surrounded that and lots and lots of birthdays to celebrate in between. Anyways, I am so incredibly proud of this chapter. I love it so so much. It's the longest chapter of the story so far, and as my mom says - 'it's just solid!'. Anyway, enough talking. On with the show!

* * *

 ****

 **Chapter Ten**

Ione tried to keep her focus on the whiteboard in front of her. She tried to let what Mr. Hudson was saying, sink in. She hated math, even though her Mom always told her it was rude to say she hated something. She hated math - she was never good at it, big numbers tripped her up and forget about fractions. She leaned her head into her hand as Mr. Hudson continued to talk at the front of the classroom, and her mind wandered. She tried to suppress a yawn that was trying to escape. She had had a rough night, they had gotten home late from seeing her Mom at the hospital - Nana and Papa had insisted on going out for dinner, going to Target for the millionth time, buying them more clothes, more things to keep them happy. For a store that she used to like, Ione was starting to really hate going there. Her head faltered in her hand a bit, and she jerked herself awake. Nothing would make her happy, she felt like Nana and Papa were trying to do something - make them forget about the situation. Because it wasn't hard to remember how bad things were and how bad they are now. She hated what was happening to her family. Sher jerked in her seat when Mr. Hudson called her name, breaking through her thoughts.

"Ione, did you hear what I said?" Mr. Hudson asked again. Ione shook her head and sat up straighter, before she slumped her shoulders. "I asked if you knew what the answer to number 7 on the work sheet was."

Ione dropped her shoulders as he repeated the question. Her eyes were drawn to the work sheet in front of her - last night's homework. A majority of it was empty. She had had a lot of homework last night, and when she had come to the worksheet Nana was calling for her to go to bed. So she'd lied, something she wasn't used to doing, and said her work was done. Now she looked down at the paper, feeling disappointed in herself - just like she saw looking back at her from Mr. Hudson.

She hated disappointing people, and as he moved on to ask another student what the answer to the question was, Ione twisted her fingers in her lap. She felt the disappointment, and she only hoped he didn't call her grandparents. Or worse, her mom at the hospital. She couldn't lift her head for the rest of the lesson, not wanting to meet his eyes. She had never not finished her homework before, but in the last few days it had been harder to do so...and she still felt weird asking her Nana or Papa for help.

The bell rang to dismiss the class for lunch, and at first she didn't move a muscle. Everyone around her excitedly pushed out of their chairs. Mr. Hudson let the class sit in groups of four, even though Ione rarely took advantage of that. She moved to get her lunch, something else that had been a reason they had had to go to Target last night. Living out of a hotel had certain advantages - but many disadvantages. She grabbed her lunch bag, and as she turned around to face the classroom, she felt herself deflate a little bit. Everyone in the classroom was in groups, happily chatting with their friends. The sounds of the other kids laughing met her ears, and she began to tremble as it all became too much. She looked around the room with wide eyes. Nothing was different, it was all the same - nothing had changed here. But instead of reveling in that, Ione felt herself crack even more. She blew out a breath and started to walk towards her seat, clutching her lunch bag to her chest. Nana had let her pick out whatever she wanted for lunch - both her and Ayla had chosen some Lunchables; Ayla taking the pizza one while Ione chose the nachos. She should have been excited at the thought, but all the special lunches in the world were not going to help the storm that was quelling in her stomach.

Once she made it back to her desk, she felt her shoulders slump further. She placed her palms on the desk after she had placed the bag on the tabletop. She sighed before reaching to pull her chair out and fall into the seat. But as she reached for her lunch bag to undo the zipper and pull out the lunchable and bottle of water that Nana had packed, she looked up to find Mr. Hudson still sitting at his desk, writing something - probably the note to put in her agenda about her missed homework. She felt her hands tremble as she pushed herself up off her chair, and decided then and there that she would apologize profusely. Anything was better than getting in trouble. She didn't want to make Nana and Papa made, she didn't know how they would react. And she couldn't risk making Mom upset.

Mr. Hudson didn't look up when she approached. She could see that he was busily writing in a book she didn't recognize, and she almost lost her nerve and turned back to sit at her desk. She nodded invisibly to herself, waited a beat before she turned on her heel. With her back turned, she didn't see Mr. Hudson had looked up from his book.

"Ione? Do you need something?" She heard him put his pen down on the surface he was writing on. She turned around slowly, dragging her sneaker along the ground with her face turned intently to watch the action.

"I just..." she trialed off for a moment, without raising her eyes for a second.

"Ione? What is it?" He prodded.

She raised her eyes to look over at him. The words she had planned to say were on the tip of her tongue. She bit the inside of her cheek as Mr. Hudson. "Can I eat my lunch with you?" her voice came out quieter this time.

* * *

Rachel's hands, well her good one primarily, trembled as she sat in front of the desk. The woman in front of her, who had introduced herself a few days ago as Claire, was the care coordinator that Mercedes had insisted she see. She bit her lip as she took in the woman, beautiful, blonde, tall and mobile - everything Rachel wasn't at the moment. Her bruises were healing, dulled to faded yellowish with all of the scrapes from his finger nails had healed over with scabs and were in various stages of being finished. But the constant reminders of what had happened, the lingering images were still the casted leg and arm that rendered her nearly useless. All she was good for was trembling, being a burden. She forced herself to look away from the woman, her eyes lingering on the diploma and degrees on the wall before turning over to the expensive art. There were frames on the desk, and Rachel was positive that if she could see them she would see pictures of blondies pretty, happy family. Another crushing invisible scarlet letter on Rachel's score card of everything she had fucked up in recent years.

She didn't like feeling this way. She kept her eyes turned away from the woman in front of her, so the feelings of helplessness didn't show too much on her face. She pushed down the feelings, trying to will herself to remember that she shouldn't be taking her situation, her feelings, out on the people who were just trying to help.

She only turned back when she felt Claire's unwavering stare. When she had met the woman two days ago, Rachel's first instinct was that she wasn't a fan of the blonde woman. Claire had been too quick with advice and suggestions, like she had done this before - dealt with someone _like her_ before. Mercedes had prepared her, with the idea of going to a rehabilitation hospital before she had sent her to meet with Claire. The idea of prolonging her situation, the idea of still not being able to be the one taking care of her girls, leaving them to the care of her parents - something that she still wasn't overly thrilled about - caused her teeth to clench and her thoughts to race. She just wanted to move on, push it all away.

But her parents made even doing that hard.

Her Mother had been the first one to push for the rehab hospital. Rachel herself had recoiled at the idea, not wanting to be separated from her girls any longer. She didn't think she needed to go off to another place, another hospital that would have the same blank walls and stupid visitation rules. She didn't want it. She wanted her life back.

But everyone, her parents and Mercedes included, assured her that would come later.

Whenever that was.

"I got confirmation from Carmel this morning, that your room has been reserved and they'll be expecting you later this afternoon. I've spoken with Dr. Paterson, and he'd like to see you one more time before the transfer ambulance..."

"Do I have to take an ambulance?" Rachel questioned. She raised her eyebrows as she watched Claire shuffle the papers on her desk. She could see from her vantage point her name scrawled on a few pieces of important documents. She tried not to eye them to critically.

"That is protocol, and with your injuries..."

"Can we not discuss my injuries?" her words came out clipped, harsher than she wanted. She cowered a bit when Claire looked at her with a pointed expression of her own. The older woman had a way about her, of making her feel even smaller than she was. Rachel dipped her head and focused on her casted hand for a moment. "Sorry...just...that's all anyone has wanted to talk about and I just..." her thought trailed off.

Claire nodded. "How would you prefer to go this afternoon?" she offered. "We want this to go as smoothly as possible for you Rachel. We're doing this to help you."

* * *

Ione sat across from Mr. Hudson at a table in the library, her legs swinging under the chair she was sitting in. She stared at her lunch in front of her, suddenly not feeling like she wanted to eat the nachos anymore. She dropped her eyes and played with the label on her water bottle. Mr. Hudson had his own lunch laid out in front of him and she tried not to eye the chocolate bar that was sitting beside his sandwich.

"You know, when I was younger the nachos were my favourite Lunchables," Mr. Hudson started. "Only instead of coming with a delicious pack of twizzlers, they used to come with a kit kat...that's how kit kats got to be my favourite," he winked as he commented before picking up his sandwich. "Did you pick it out for the twizzlers?" he asked before taking a bite.

Ione sighed, before reaching for the bottle of water to unscrew the cap. It was tough, and took her a few tries. But she got it and dropped the lid onto the table before taking a sip carefully. "I actually don't like twizzlers," she whispered. "I just wanted the nachos..."

"Well, that was definitely the best choice. I'm sure your...Nana, packed more in your lunch knowing that," Mr. Hudson offered.

Ione shook her head. She eyed her nachos that she still hadn't opened.

"What else is in your lunch?" Mr. Hudson asked carefully.

"Just this," she answered carefully. "Nana said that this was all she was going to get because it had a snack and everything in it. We were in a rush last night because it was too long at the hospital because Ayla didn't want to go," the words came out in a jumble. "We'll probably have to go back tonight again..after we see Mommy," she sighed.

Finn noted the way her head dropped when she said the words. He chewed the bite of his sandwich carefully as he took a second to think about what he would say next. He watched silently as Ione picked at the cardboard container, finally choosing to get started on her lunch.

He watched carefully as she picked at the corners of the cardboard, pulling at the paper and tearing it off. But she stopped short of pulling the container out of the confines, dropped the small piece of cardboard that she was holding in her hand.

"Ione?" he asked quietly. She didn't lift her head. "Ione, you should really get started on your nachos or you're going to run out of time..."

"I know," the words tumbled out, and she didn't look up at him when she spoke then. He turned back to his sandwich when she began to pick at the packaging again. He tried not to stare at her, instead choosing in that moment to focus on his sandwich. He reached for the Pepsi he had plopped on the table when they sat down, and tried not to make a show of it when he popped the tab open.

"Nana doesn't let us have Pepsi," she commented as she finally worked to pull the container out of the packaging, and immediately pulled the plastic covering back. "She says it's going to rot our teeth. Mommy said it was okay sometimes. Brody said it was okay all the time...especially after him and Mommy..." her voice dropped off. Finn swallowed the sip he had taken of the drink slowly, pausing in effect to see if Ione would say anything more. "Papa doesn't say anything when Nana says those things. Though I heard him talking to her when he thought I was asleep. Said she should just let us be..." she paused with a sigh before picking up a nacho and slowly dunking it in the small cup of salsa it came with. "...Papa bought me this shirt," she mumbled. "It feels weird on my skin, it's too new...Mr. Hudson...it's too soft..." she pushed up her sleeve with her free hand in an effort to get her point across.

Finn watched as a myriad of emotions played across her features. He nearly jumped when she picked up her water bottle and squeezed it so the plastic crinkled. "I want to go home Mr. Hudson," she whispered. Her eyes dropped to her lap, repositioning themselves to where they were a few minutes ago. Finn felt himself sit up straighter, swallow harder though there was nothing left in his mouth to swallow.

"Ione," he started. But Finn stopped, as her eyes lifted ever so slowly to look up at him once more. He noticed then the tears in her eyes. He fingered the plastic of the Ziploc bag he had packed his sandwich in.

"I don't want to go back to the hotel tonight," Ione pursed her lips in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. She looked away from Finn, as he watched her. "I want my own bed, I want my own room. I want to go home. I want...my mom..."

It was like a dam broke. She couldn't keep it back anymore, and she felt her shoulders begin to shake as she turned her eyes away from Mr. Hudson. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly and dug her chin into her chest to protect herself. Her chin trembled as the soft material rubbed against her skin.

"Everything was supposed to be better now...everything was supposed to be okay and it's not," she sobbed. She unwrapped her arms, and lifted her hands to her face, pressing the palms of her hands to her eyes. "I just want to go back to when we were at home...I'll be better...I won't bug Ayla...I'll..." the sobs rocked her as she tried to press her hands further into her eyes.

Finn couldn't watch her anymore. He pushed back his chair and hurried around the table as her sobs seemed to rise. He crouched down beside her chair, his knees hitting the carpet a little more abruptly than he had anticipated. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands in that moment, so he placed one on the table beside her barely touched lunch, and the other on the back of the high backed seat she sat in.

"Hey, hey, Ione, it's okay," he tried his best to keep his voice low. They were still in the library, and even though it was mostly empty the still present librarian kept throwing him looks every few minutes - even more frequently after she started to cry.

"It's not okay," she cried. "It's not okay! It's never going to be okay again!" she sniffled, finally pulling her hands from her eyes to use the edge of her sleeve to wipe at her nose. "I just want my mom back..."

"Ione, she hasn't gone anywhere. She's just...she's just got to get better and it's..."

"You don't understand Mr. Hudson!" she stammered. She averted her eyes again, not wanting to meet his. She started to hyperventilate and hung her head. "Everything is..."

"Ione, Ione..." he tried to interrupt. "Hey, Ione, how about you take a deep breath for me?" When she didn't stop, he placed his hand on her knee and she jerked at the touch. Finn dropped his hand immediately. "Take a deep breath, okay? I don't want you to get sick..."

"If I get sick I can go home, maybe," she mumbled. But as she spoke the words, it spoke another thought that triggered more tears. She didn't know where home was anymore.

"It's okay, it's okay," Finn tried to placate. "It's going to be okay."

"I don't think that's possible Mr. Hudson," she whimpered. She swallowed hard, her lips trembling as tears rained down her cheeks. She tilted her head to the side, resting it on her shoulder.

In that moment, Finn felt the words Ione spoke shake him - sinking to the very center of his core.

"Ione," her name died on his lips as she hiccupped, the tears still pouring from her eyes. He wasn't sure what to say. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to bring forward any of the advice his mother, his mentors, anyone had ever given him. He opened his eyes and found her staring back at him, her chest rising and falling as she tried desperately to get herself under control. Hiccups and small whimpers slipped from her lips and Finn felt like he was going to burst.

"Listen," he cleared his throat. "Ione, listen to me..."

Her lip trembled and she tried to get herself under control. Finn could tell she was trying, but he could also tell that she had been holding on to these feelings for so long that it was hard to reign them back in. Finn tentatively held his hand out, taking it off the back of Ione's chair. Her fingers, wet with her tears from her eyes, shook as she placed her hand on top of his.

"I promise you, everything is going to be okay," he whispered softly.

* * *

Rachel's good hand shook as she attempted to button the sweater her mother had brought her last night. She grunted when she couldn't quite get it, and dropped her hand against the bed, allowing her head to fall forward in the process. She was frustrated, a feeling that was one she had still not become accustomed to. She blew out a breath as she raised her head again and slumped her shoulders, bracing herself to try again. She fiddled with the buttons, using her casted arm to hold the two sides together while her good hand fiddled with the large buttons. The sweater wasn't to her taste, but it was the only thing she had to wear at the moment so she really had no choice but to fight with the material. She sighed in relief when she got the first button done up, before taking a moment to go for the other three. The camisole she wore underneath had been easier to navigate, good arm in first, bad arm in second, pull down and voila. But it was winter, and she had no idea where her coat was - so the sweater was more of a necessity than anything. Rachel allowed herself to lay back against the bed when she finally got all of the buttons done up. She looked down at herself, inspected how the material looked on her and immediately turned her head away. It's not something she would buy for herself - it wasn't her style - and it felt and looked expensive. The fabric, felt something like wool and it was already itchy on her good arm.

But the fabric of the sweater was the least of her problems. She wrapped her arms around her middle, her casted arm pushing up the fabric on her good arm, using her fingers to scratch the skin of her arm. Her eyes traveled over to the wheelchair beside her bed and she quickly skirted her eyes away. The chair was a pain, the source of some of her frustration. She couldn't get herself steadily in and out, she relied on the help of others to get around as she gained strength in her casted hand. She picked at the edge of the cast, finding frayed bits to pick at. Her eyes glanced over the white plaster, smiling slightly as her eyes found where both Ione and Ayla had scribbled and written their names on the cast. She traced her finger over the pictures Ione had drawn, cartoon images of the three of them that were quite lifelike made her grin, as she glanced over the flowers and symbols Ayla had drawn. The girls had added something to the cast every time they visited over the last few days and it was sometimes the bright spot of her day.

The girls. Her head dipped, emotions that she wasn't quite adjusted to rolling over her as her heart ached. Now that it was all final, the plan was in place she allowed herself to feel the emotions she had buried away under anger this morning. Now that she was alone, probably for only a few more minutes, the foundations of her anger cracked and the sadness in her heart, the weakness she felt about the situation seeped through.

They didn't know she was being released today. She didn't want to get their hopes up, didn't want to give them false pretenses about what would happen next. She didn't know what would happen next anyway, just that...just that the doctors and nurses and even her _parents_ insisted that a stay at Carmel Rehabilitation Hospital would do her some good, help her heal. Rachel struggled herself to see the good in it, especially since it was going to keep her apart from her girls for longer. She tried not to let that upset her, but in hindsight it was eating away at her core.

She re-wrapped her arms around her middle, grateful in the moment that the ache from her broken ribs had subsided to just a dull pain now. But it did nothing for the pain in the rest of her body - the rest of her being. Rachel reclined against the bed, her head coming to rest against the pillow and she closed her eyes for just a moment. Doing nothing tired her out most days, and she briefly wondered if she would ever have the energy to be the person she was before ever again. Her life would forever be marked like that, before and after. She could only hope the after would be better, with elements of the before. Just not the parts where there was intolerable pain; which was most of the time.

She kept her eyes closed and told herself she would only sleep for a few minutes. Her eyes were heavy, and her muscles ached from the small efforts she had made to sit up and participate with Claire.

She thought they were only closed for a few minutes, but when she opened them again the small whispers of her parents met her ears. They were talking about the girls, she could hear that much. She heard Ione's name slip from her mother's lips, but not much else. She tried to keep quiet, tried to just listen. Hearing them discuss homework and haircuts, it felt like a different universe. It felt like a different time. It stung, because these were things she should be worrying about for the girls - things she should be taking care of. She turned her head away, the pillowcase crinkling under head as she turned to look at the window beside her.

"Oh, Songbird, you're awake," her father was the first one to notice the movement. There was a surprise in his voice that she didn't really recognize.

"Of course I am," she mumbled. She slowly turned her head back to look at her parents. They both smiled at her broadly, but she could see the cracks in her fathers. He was the worrier of the two. She tried to shift her body to sit up, but it was a struggle to do with one strong hand and a weaker one. When she got herself upright, she stared at her parents.

"I bet you're ready to leave this place," her mother offered. Rachel wanted badly to roll her eyes. Her mother's enthusiasm for her hospital release was like an electric current, and she wished she could catch it. But she felt far from excited about leaving another hospital for another.

When she didn't say a word, her father tried to offer her a comforting smile. "We toured Carmel this morning, your room is so big. And we signed you up for cable, so you'll at least have television when you have down time, apart from physical therapy and your other activities," he smiled broadly.

There was something about his smile that hit Rachel the wrong way. Her anger from earlier this morning seemed to come flashing forward without warning, and she felt her jaw tense.

"You can cancel it. I don't need cable," she snapped. "Wouldn't want you wasting your precious money on me."

She eyed them from the bed, and watched as both her parents turned and looked at each with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Rachel," her mother half chuckled. "You're..."

Rachel shook her head quickly from side to side. "No! And while you're at it, take this stupid sweater too!" she roughly pulled at the buttons she had worked so hard to put on earlier.

It was her father who was out of his chair first. "Rachel," he tried quietly. She tried to push the buttons of the sweater through the holes with just her uncasted hand, and was quickly becoming frustrated with the task. "Rachel," he tried again. He reached out for her, his fingers colliding with hers as she continued to try to tear the button from the hole.

"No! Stop!" she shrieked, thrashing away from his hands. Both Leroy and Shelby gasped at the reaction. "Don't touch me!" she trembled. "Don't...just...I don't need your help! I just...just go..." She dropped her arms against the bed, the thunk of her cast hitting the mattress reverberating up to her elbow.

"Rachel," Leroy tried. He held up his hands, and Rachel's lip trembled and her chin shook as she looked at her dad. "Rachel, everything is okay..."

"Everything... is not... okay," she stumbled through her words. "THIS IS NOT OKAY!" she screamed as she raised her casted arm, tears piquing in her eyes as she slammed it down on her thigh, still covered by the blanket. "The fact that I can't go HOME is not okay!" she screamed. "I don't even HAVE A HOME ANYMORE. I DON'T HAVE MY GIRLS ! YOU HAVE THEM AND THAT'S NOT OKAY!" her voice came out broken, her throat felt rough as the words ripped from her.

The scrapping of a chair on the floor broke her tirade, her eyes widening at the sound. From her peripheral vision she saw her mother pick herself up out of her chair and run for the door. She couldn't hear it or see it, but she knew that there were tears in her Mom's eyes. But she didn't care, not a bit. Her jaw trembled with the anger she felt. Her father stood beside her unflinching. She gritted her teeth together in that moment, feeling the burn on the emotions that had build and then subsequently slipped through her lips.

"Rachel," his voice was quiet - steady. Her eyes felt wide, and like they were glued open. "I know this is hard."

"You don't know hard!" she stammered, her voice weak from the explosion only moments before. "Hard is that...that asshole beating me until I couldn't breathe! And then having to get up and nurse my baby like nothing happened! Hard is knowing that one day, he is going to kill me..." Rachel watched as the emotions played across her father's face. She didn't care about his feelings, didn't care that he probably didn't want to hear this. No one did. No one understood what she had gone through, what she was still going through, what she was feeling and everything she had felt. She gritted her teeth together. "You don't know what it's like to have no one, Daddy. To have no one to run to, to count on - no one but a monster who seems intent on beating you senseless within an inch of your life."

Her father remained mute. Rachel recoiled back into the mattress, her head cradling back into the softness of the pillow, something that had bothered Rachel over the past week. In place of speaking, Leroy took a step forward, kept his hands up in the air so she could see them. Rachel took several deep breaths as she looked at her father, trying to calm herself but the emotions she was feeling in that second were too much.

"Daddy," she whimpered in that second. "Daddy, I..." her words stopped then, and her Dad dropped his hands. Leroy held out his hand and went to touch her. She flinched at the initial touch, but when he rubbed his hand on her shoulder she felt herself tremble again and Leroy immediately pulled her into his arms.  
"I'm sorry Daddy," she cried. She pulled him into her more and Leroy wrapped his arms tightly around her, but not enough to hurt her.

"No Songbird, I'm sorry..." he whispered into her ear. "I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

Rachel tried not to vomit as her father helped her up the stairs. Her insides flipped as they followed the police officer up the stairs. She tried not to put too much pressure or weight on her father, but it was hard not to. She prayed no one came out of their apartments, even though she was making quite the racket as she tried to hop up the stairs as best as she could.

Her mother hadn't wanted her to come. Begged her, really. But she wanted to. She needed to. Even though her lungs burned and her good leg felt like it was going to catch fire from the excessive use. Her father was trying his best to hold her up, but she knew she wasn't light. Brody had drilled that into her head - her throat burned when she thought his name. She bile rose in her throat as they finally made it to the third floor, her throat and chest burned with exertion. The police officer in front of them handed her the crutch they had given her when she was discharged, and she looked at it with a critical eye. The crutch was something they were supposed to work on at Carmel. Why the hospital thought she would try now was simply beyond her. Her father took it from the cop, and in some form of brute strength tucked it under the arm that wasn't closest to her.

The door was the first thing that met her vision. She sucked in a breath as the gold letters seemed to shine back at her. The door itself looked the same. It hadn't been locked that day, she assumed. In every dream, every vision she had about this moment - or moments like it, the door was shattered, with splintered wood and deep gashes in the parts that were still whole. But it wasn't like that. It almost looked...normal...like nothing had happened. It was funny, in a way, the way she had built up _that day_ \- the part where she was saved. She was so in and out of it though, her memory of everything that day, even when she was rescued, was hazy at best. But it wasn't like this. Wasn't - perfect? She shivered, hopping on her good leg for a moment as her Dad kept his arm firmly around her waist.

"Are you sure Songbird?" he whispered against her head. She turned her head slightly so she could catch his eyes.

"I'm sure," her voice was soft. "I have to Dad...I need...I need this..." she whispered.

Leroy nodded. She hoped he understood, more than her Mom did. She felt him press a kiss to her head, and she tried to take the strength and love he was offering, wordlessly, as she took another deep breath.

Rachel turned her attention to the cop in front of her and gave a slight nod. She clenched her fingers around her Dad's arm as she waited for the cop to walk in. Even though Brody had been apprehended, she still only agreed to return to the apartment with an escort. Buried deep in her veins was a fear that she probably was never going to let go of - the fear that he would always be there, looking for her, going after her. Why wouldn't he? He always promised he would finish her off, take the girls - namely Ayla - and run. She flinched when the cop turned back to her from the entry way that was so familiar to her and took in his gesture. He held his hand out and nodded, telling her it was clear.

But what she didn't expect when she walked in, was the state of the apartment. The gasp that left her lips was unplanned, and she felt herself losing her stability in her leg. She put down her casted leg, cringing at the movement that was so foreign to her. She leaned further into her father as she brought her casted hand to cover her gaping mouth.

The place was trashed. Her eyes watered as she looked around, her breath sucking deep into her lungs. There was glass all over the floor of the living room, the early afternoon sun coming through the window caught the edges of the shards and lit them up. She curled her lips behind her hand as her father carefully helped her through, and she felt her heart sink as she looked around. Everything was trashed. All of the frames she had had on the wall were on the floor, cracked and broken. The TV had a large crack in the screen, something that looked to her to be caused by a large glass - or maybe even his fist. She leaned into her father more as she took in the rest of the scene - the slashed couch, the busted end tables - and this was just the living room. She felt sick. Her father dropped the crutch he had been holding with a clank, and she allowed herself to lean completely on him.

Brody had destroyed the place. Destroyed the apartment she had worked so hard to keep over their heads while he was off doing God knows what with God knows who. She curled herself into her father a little more, her eyes flickered all around the room and she felt him tighten his arms around her.

"Rachel," he whispered. She felt herself weakening. "We don't have to..."

She shook her head. "No. I want my stuff..." she whispered. "Take me this..." she wrenched her body to turn around and stopped in her tracks. The stain on the carpet caught her attention. She felt the bile rise quicker than before and she felt her father flinch.

"I..." she stumbled over her words before letting go of her father, no matter how strongly he tried to keep her in his grasp. She fell back onto her good leg, her casted one jutting out in the same unnatural position it had been in for the last week. She was arms lengths away from the stain, but all the memories of that day came rushing back so vividly she could feel the way he had smashed her head against the floor, every kick, every punch she had received. She felt herself dry heave at the reminders, remembering the pain, the anguish, the sweet relief the darkness had brought her despite the fear. This was a bad idea, she shouldn't be here, she shouldn't have come up with her father. Her mother had been right; a bad idea indeed. She shouldn't be here. She felt herself dry heaving again, and her father dropped to his knees beside her and pressed endless kisses to her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Songbird, so sorry," he whispered. The words were nice, but both of them knew deep in their hearts they were doing nothing to take away the hurt each of them would feel for a long time, if not forever.

"Let me take you down to Mom, sit with her in the van...I'll get..I'll get your stuff..."

She shook her head vehemently. "No. I need to be here..." she stumbled through her trembling lips. "I need to do this for myself. For my girls."

"Rachel..."

"Dad, please," she whispered. She turned to look him directly in the eye. "Just...just help me."

"Of course, of course..." he whispered in kind, his face showing every bit of support that she needed in that moment.

She reached her hand forward and let him help her to her feet once he had right himself. When she was steady, she guided him to the bedrooms, following the path of destruction. There was just stuff, her stuff, his stuff everywhere. She stopped in the girls room first, and almost cried again when she came to what she saw. Ione's side of the room? Trashed. Ayla's side? Perfectly untouched. She felt guilt rush through her veins, the feeling gushing from every pore as she paled. She pulled her father over to Ione's bed, and dropped herself to the well worn mattress. She reached for the teddy bear on her bed, one of the first things she had ever bought Ione way back when she was pregnant with her. Ione still slept with it every night, and Rachel weakened at the thought of Ione having to go without for so many nights. She pulled the fluffy, purple bear up to her chest and dipped her head to brush her nose against the old, matted and well loved material. Her tears burned in her eyes as she clutched the bear close, breathing in the smells that were so ingrained in the soft fur. She looked up when she heard shuffling, and saw her father sink onto Ayla's bed across from her.

"What do you think, huh?" she questioned. "Welcome to my nightmare," she mumbled as she hugged the bear to her cheek.

Her father didn't say a word. Instead, Rachel watched as he ran his fingers over the quilt that laid over Ayla's bed. She watched as he looked around, taking in the environment, the things that distinctly belonged to the girls. She watched as different emotions flooded his face. She didn't see judgement, no, instead she saw something else. She saw guilt, sadness, maybe a little bit of regret.

"Daddy," she whispered after a few beats of uncomfortable silence passed between them. "Daddy, what is it?"

Leroy turned to look at her, his eyes glassy. Rachel's own eyes flooded with tears in return as she stared back at him. Everything was made worse by the reaction she saw reflected back in his eyes.

"Your girls are amazing Rachel," he whispered as he cleared his throat. "And this...seeing...seeing this...seeing it all..." he shook his head, as if he was trying to rid himself of the images. Images that forever haunted her. Looking through his eyes now, she saw the environment with new eyes. The room was small, too small for the furniture she had to stuff into it - their old apartment had had three, spacious bedrooms - a luxury she gave up when she was scrambling to find them a new home. And just seeing the destruction on Ione's side, the neatness of Ayla's...it brought everything to a startling halt. She felt embarrassment colour her cheeks.

She ducked her head and pressed her face into the bear again.

"I don't know how I let this happen," she whispered against the fur of the bear. "My girls have...they've been put through so much and I just don't know how we're going to come back from this..." she pondered. Her words shook as she touched the paw of the bear, fingering the worn material between her digits. She sucked in a breath, and tried to collect herself. She couldn't look up, couldn't face her father.

"I just want to make this better for them...for you..." he whispered. "Tell me how I can do that for you guys, because I don't really know how..."  
Rachel bit the inside of her cheek and didn't look up at him.

"Just love us," she whispered after she contemplated what he said for a minute. "That's all we need right now..."

"Rachel," he sighed. "That's the easy part..."

She sucked in a breath in that moment, and the air seemed to shift. She blew it out slowly between her teeth as her father looked down at his pants, wiping his hands on the fabric.

"They're going to be so happy to see you at pick up," he commented, trying to lighten the mood. She semi raised her shoulder in agreement. "They will." But neither addressed the disappointment they both knew was coming for the girls.

"Mom wants to take them to the American Girl store this weekend," he commented nonchalantly. He stood up and once more wiped his sweaty palms. "She was going to ask earlier but..."

Rachel chewed her lip and nodded. She felt badly enough as it was, about literally everything. But it also kind of hurt, hearing about what her Mother wanted to do. American Girl was a dream she had had for her girls for as long as she could remember. But their time in Tribeca had slipped through her fingers, and consisted of more bruises than she knew how to count and by the time they moved here...She turned her head to look out the window. By the time they moved here there was no extra money, anything nonessential went by the wayside. To hear that her mother wanted to do something like that for her girls did conflicting things to her heart and her mind. But she tried not to let it bother her. She had too many other things to worry about right now, rather than her hurt feelings in terms of expensive dolls.

Leroy, sensing her conflicting emotions, decided to change the subject. "Is there a bag, somewhere, that we could use to pack some of their things? Mom and I have bought them some clothes but they definitely need some more. And Ayla asked last night about some book?"

"Right, her and Ione were going to start reading Harry Potter," she explained. "I had found a copy at a thrift store by my work before..." her voice trailed off and she felt her throat swell again. She pushed the feeling down. "They like to read at night and most of the time I read with them but..." her voice trailed off. She needed to remain strong. "There's a suitcase on the top of their closet. The book should be..." she tried to shift to the lone night stand that stood between the two beds. But the movement was fruitless, and she tired from the motions. Instead, she chose to point. "The book should be in there..."

If she thought the destruction in the girls room and the main area of the apartment was bad, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw in her own bedroom. It was like he had started here, forced most of his anger on the four walls of the room that held so much horror for her already and continued his typhoon of rage outside. Anything that meant anything to her was broken, her jewelry box and the few pieces of jewelry that she owned were splayed across the floor. The box itself was broken, it looked like he had stomped on it. It had been a gift from her parents when she was Ione's age. The few bottles of perfume she still had sat smashed along the wall, the scents mixing together to make a smell that did nothing but assault her senses. She leaned into her father as she tried to be strong, tried not to let it break her. She'd cried enough today, in the last hour even- but she felt like she just wasn't finished yet.

But what broke her the most, more than anything else in the room was the shredded art projects that littered the bed. He had destroyed them all. Everything she had saved, every art project, every Mother's Day craft - everything was destroyed. He had known where to hit her, where it would hurt the most. The jewelry bow, while sentimental could be replaced, same with the perfume. But the art work was invaluable and she stiffened as her father helped her hop towards the bed and she collapsed into it, grabbing for the torn construction paper and broken popsicle sticks. Tears burned as she fisted it all and curled into herself as much as she could. She clutched the pieces that had the crude penmanship of a 4 year old Ione, something she had made in pre-school that now she couldn't identify. Memories that thanks to him were lost forever, while scars of every bruise and every punch sealed over them like badly wrapped left over meals.

She stayed quiet, taking in her surroundings. This is what it felt like to lose it all. She didn't like it.

"He's taken everything from me," she whispered. Her words were not meant to invite conversation, it was more of a statement. An observation. She heard her father's cell phone ding from his pocket. It was most likely her mother who was waiting downstairs for them to come back down. She knew they were taking much too long, and the meter for the van they had called was probably running high, something she hadn't thought about until now. She pushed the thought from her mind as she continued to stare down at the torn paper. Without looking up, she swallowed her breath before speaking. "There's a duffle bag in the closet. I just want my clothes. And the girls baby books which are up there too..." she added at second thought. "And this..." she grabbed for the crumpled papers she had fisted. "I want this."

Her father looked at her curiously, but didn't say a word. Instead he set to work following her directions. She watched as he emptied her drawers into the duffle bag. She didn't have much. The girls had so much more than her. The way she wanted it to be. They would need comforts more than her. She would be fine. She was alive. She just had to keep reminding herself that.

* * *

Rachel twisted her fingers in her lap as she waited for the bell to ring. Her eyes were glued to the front door of the large building. She waited with baited breath, counting the seconds in her mind as she waited for the moment she would be reunited with the girls, outside of the hospital for the first time in a week. Both her parents stood outside the van on the cold sidewalk, leaving her alone in her thoughts but with a clear view of the door. The taxi driver, who she learned was being paid a flat fee to help them with this transition remained stoically quiet in his seat in front of her. She was sat up in the back, her casted leg stretched out in front of her. It had been quite the feat getting in and out, but she would do it all over again.

The shrill ringing of the bell broke her from her thoughts and she felt herself sit up straighter, and her heart beat a little faster in her chest. Her eyes darted through the floods of children that started pouring from the door as soon as the ringing ended, searching for the faces of her children. Her pressure rose when she didn't see them, but she didn't try to panic. Her kids always took their time, had always been like that from the moment they were each born. But she bit her lip anyway as she waited for them, her anxiety peaking as she tried to imagine how they were going to react when they saw her.

* * *

Ione took her time gathering her homework. She clutched the math work sheet in her hand, the one Mr. Hudson had given to her after lunch. It was a different one from last night, that much he had promised her. She had admitted to him, as they walked back to the classroom at the end of the lunch period that she hadn't done the sheet from the night before. She didn't tell him it confused her, that fractions were complicated to her. But he had offered her another chance to finish the work, gave her a different sheet. But as she looked at the paper, she could already feel herself start to sweat. She had a few other things to do for homework, like some take home reading assignment and even a little bit of science work. Two things she would much rather spend her time on, but after Mr. Hudson handed her the sheet, she promised herself she was going to try her best to get it done. Even if she had to ask Nana or Papa for help.

"Ready to go Ione?" Mr. Hudson called from his desk. Her head snapped up from the sheet she was staring at, to find his kind eyes staring back at her. She hurriedly snapped herself back to attention and tossed the page between the pages of her notebook. She nodded her head quickly and scooped everything up in her hands.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Hudson," she offered him a small smile as she headed for the door.

"Sure thing, Ione..." she watched him nod before going back to packing his own bag. She watched him for a moment, words dying on her tongue. She wanted to thank him, for helping her at lunch, for giving her another chance to finish her homework. But the words stopped as she watched him pack up his books. When he looked up she snapped out of her trance and quickly headed out to the hallway to get her things together. She didn't want to make her Nana or Papa wait longer than they had to, so she quickly got her things together.

But as she pushed her way through the doors, she stopped at the top of the stairs. She spotted them first, before they noticed that she had left the school. Both Nana and Papa were standing outside a van she didn't recognize, taxis that a week ago was so foreign to her. Now they were a regular part of her life. But when she searched further around her grandparents, she gasped when she locked eyes with her mother.

Ione propelled herself down the stairs faster than she ever had. She skidded around the few other kids that were still on the walk way and came to a stop in front of the taxi in a blink. She ignored her grandparents in favour of going up to the glass, running her fingers over the glass as her mother raised her hand on the other side in return. Ione felt her eyes burn as she pushed a smile to her lips, just as she heard Ayla come screeching behind her.

"Mom," she whispered.

"You can get in you know," her Nana smiled. "We have to get going soon so you..."

Ione didn't have to be told twice. She moved away from the window and speared her way through her grandparents to yank open the door to the van, taking a few tries before it rolled open.

When she came face to face, or as close to face to face as she could with her mother a half sob bubbled from her lips. "Mom," she whispered.

"Ione," Rachel smiled back. Ione kneeled on the seat that was in front of her, her face coming to rest on the top of the seat. She couldn't stop looking at her, her arms itching to reach over and touch her. She wanted to hug her Mom so badly, but was so afraid to hurt her, that she would disappear if she got too close. But when her mom reached her hand out, the one with the cast, she felt the same sob come to her lips. She didn't reach out in response at first, she didn't want to hurt her bad hand. She wanted the hand with no cast.

"It's okay," Rachel whispered, reaching her hand out more prominently. "It doesn't hurt badly anymore..."

Ione nodded and gently touched Rachel's finger tips.

Rachel almost cried at the gentle way Ione reached out to her. She gently curled her fingers around Ione's and felt the little girl immediately respond.

"Mom," Ione whispered. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Rachel felt tears spring to her eyes. Ione looked so hopeful, so happy in that moment, a look that had been missing from her little girls face over the past few weeks.

"I came with Nana and Papa to pick you up, is that okay?" she asked calmly. Ione looked at her quizzically. "Do you want to come back here? Come sit with me, I want to hear all about your day..."

Ione looked at the space between the chairs as the door on the opposite side of the van rolled open and Ayla ambled in, unable to be kept back by her grandparents any longer.

"It's okay," Rachel assured. "Just be careful. But you can't hurt me, that's what the cast is for," she tried to encourage.

"If you're sure," she replied quietly.

"Of course I'm sure, come on," Rachel encouraged. She lifted her uncasted hand to help Ione across and watched as she stripped her backpack off before slowly maneuvering her way around.

Ione felt like she was going to burst when she sank into the seat beside her Mom. Rachel immediately wrapped her arms around her and for the first time in a week, Ione felt safe.

Rachel pushed her nose into the top of Ione's head, breathing in deeply as she closed her eyes. The tears that had sprung to her eyes were hard to keep back as she held her. It felt like it had been so long since she had been able to hold Ione like this, hold either of her girls like this - she just wanted to take it in. She pressed a kiss to the crown of Ione's head before pulling away with a soft smile on her lips.

"I'm so glad you're here Mommy," Ione whispered. Rachel looked down at her quietly, before she pressed another kiss to her forehead. "I know I've seen you every night but I've really missed you..." she whispered, her voice dropping.

"I missed you too Mommy!" Ayla squealed from where she was kneeling on the opposite chair. She bounced a little bit on her knees. "I missed you this much!" she giggled as she held her arms outstretched.

"I missed you so much too, sweet Ayla," Rachel smiled.

Ione curled herself more into Rachel's side as Ayla crawled between the seats and around Rachel's cast to join them in the back. She smiled gingerly as Ayla started to carry on about her day, bouncing on her bottom a little bit as she told a story about something that happened at lunch time. Ione just cuddled into her Mom's side, feeling the way her Mom's side rumbled as she laughed a little bit at the tale Ayla was telling, that she felt was wildly embellished. But she smiled anyway because it just felt good to be with her Mom. She didn't want to do anything to make this feeling go away.

"You're going to love the hotel Mama, there's a swimming pool! Me and Papa went swimming a few days ago! Nana bought me a new purple bathing suit! It has big yellow stars on it!" she giggled. "We can get you a bathing suit Mommy and you can..." her eyes dropped and focused in on Rachel's casts for a minute. "Oh..."

"It's okay sweetheart," Rachel sighed. "It's okay. I'm glad you liked going swimming..."

Ayla nodded. Ione cuddled further into her as the van started up and began to drive. She didn't miss the look that passed between her mother and Nana, when she turned around to look at them. The small on her face was reserved, not the same as the one she had given her earlier when she first got out of school. She quizzically looked up at her Mom, who was once again enthralled with something Ayla was saying.

* * *

The drive seemed to take longer than Ione remembered. But she tried not to think about it, because right now she had everything she wanted. She had her Mom back. She yawned as she leaned into Rachel, and wondered if she could ask Nana and Papa if they could get something special for dinner. Her stomach rumbled a bit because she hadn't finished her nachos by the time lunch time had been up. Mr. Hudson had offered to get her finish, but she had shook her head - too afraid to disappoint him any further.

"You hungry baby?" Her mom whispered against her head. Ione pulled her head up and looked at her, just as the van came to a stop. "Did you eat all your lunch?"  
Ione shrugged a little. She turned her eyes out the window and saw that they had come to a stop in front of a large building that was unfamiliar to her. She saw up straighter in her seat when she saw two people, one woman in hospital clothes and a man in a long sleeved sweater came walking towards the van. The man was pushing a wheelchair towards them. She quietly slumped into her seat as they came closer, and reached for her Mom's hand instantly.

"Mom," she whispered. She grabbed for her hand, and immediately worked her fingers to clutch her Moms. She felt her squeeze them back, but she didn't say a word until the door rolled open, hoisted into position by her Papa who had gotten out of the van once they stopped. "Mom, why aren't we going back to the hotel...I thought we were going home..." her voice dropped an octave as her head dipped. She felt her Mom press a kiss to her hair as her Nana got out of the van too and stood just outside.

She began to sweat a little when her Mom didn't say anything.

"Mom?" Ione asked quietly, again. She dragged her eyes over to the window and once again looked out. The building had three words on the brick wall. _Carmel Rehabilitation Hospital_. "Mom, what's happening?" She started to hyperventilate, started to feel her palms get sweaty - even the one that was holding her Moms hand. She heard the murmurs of her grandparents outside the door, heard unfamiliar voices talking back. But all she wanted was her Mom.

"Ione," Rachel started. She turned to Ayla and took her hand in hers to, wrapping her fingers around the smaller ones as best she could with her cast. "Ayla, girls, I need you to listen, okay?" Rachel's eyes flickered between the two of them. Her heart broke when they connected with Ione's for a brief second, seeing the sad look on her features and the even deeper hurt in her eyes. Ayla for her part offered her a small smile but had seemed to pick up on the sadness and questioning Ione had opened.

"Mom," Ione's voice was quiet.

"I'm not going to be going to the hotel with you guys," she started quietly. "And we're not going home...we're not going to go back to the apartment ever," she said with finality. Her voice shook as she looked back and forth between the two girls. Both were staring back at her with vastly different looks on their faces. Rachel swallowed and pulled both their hands into her lap. "You're going to go back to the hotel with Nana and Papa...and I'm going to stay here..." she whispered.

"But...Mom..." Ione's voice shook as realization seemed to dawn. She curled her fingers tighter against her Ione's to try and comfort her. Rachel took a deep breath and turned to look at Ione fully for a moment.

Rachel weakened when she saw the tears in her eyes. Ayla's response to what she had said was much quieter - she was already humming a song under her breath. "Ayla, why don't you go see if you and Nana can take my bag to my room? Papa says they signed up for cable so maybe..."

"Maybe I can see if Jessie is on!" she squealed. She stood up with a flourish to her movements and squealed. She leaned over slowly and pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek. "I'm gonna make sure your bed is super bouncy Mama! Just like the one at the hotel!" were her parting words.

Rachel turned her attention back to Ione as they heard Ayla passing on the information she had just been given. She waited until they had gotten her duffle bag out of the trunk before she turned to look at Ione again.

"I know this wasn't what you were thinking was going to happen Ione," Rachel started quietly. Ione sniffled in response. Rachel took that as her answer. "I know you want more than anything for me to come home, for us to be together again. I promise you, that I'm going to come home. We're going to make a new home very soon. But that day isn't today," she continued. She watched as one, silent tear rolled down Ione's cheek. She continued to look forward instead of looking at Rachel and she felt her heart sink. "The doctors, Nana and Papa think it would be a good idea if I came here for a little bit. They're going to help me here, with my leg and my arm and help me..."

"... But what about me, Mommy?" Ione's voice came out slowly, with a slight crack in between the words. "What about me? And Ayla?" her voice was lower. "What about me? I need you Mommy..."

When her voice trailed off, Rachel felt her own resolve break. "You're going to be okay sweetheart. I just need you to be my strong girl for a few more days...everything is going to be better sweet girl, I promise. And what happens when I promise?"

It took Ione a few quiet seconds to respond. "It comes true."

Rachel allowed a small smile to pique on her lips. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Ione's head. "I love you so much Ione..." she pressed a second kiss to her forehead as Ione leaned into her. "We're going to be fine one day sweet girl, you'll see..." Rachel promised as she pushed her fingers through Ione's hair. "We're going to be just fine..."


	12. Chapter 11

Knock, knock, knock. Is anyone still here? I know it's been a really, really long time since I last posted to this story, I even broke my own 'post once a month' goal. I'm very sorry about that. It's not that this story hasn't been on my mind, because both Lauren and my mom can attest that it has been. I've just had a lot going on personally and professionally (I got ANOTHER promotion, how about them apples?!), so much so that I haven't been able to sit down and give my full attention to this story. And to be honest, I was stuck. Stuck with where I was going with certain elements, stuck with how I wanted other things to play out, etc. It was a conversation with my mom and I kind of creating an end in sight with Lauren that got me motivated to come back. But to go back to the promotion bit, I guess that's where we have a little bit of a dilemma. I've recently been promoted to assistant manager at the store I work at - exciting, right? It's what I've been working towards for three years. But at the same time, it requires more hours at work, more responsibility and extra stress. I love writing, so that'll never change. I'm not going anywhere, I have too many ideas and thoughts and plans. I'm just asking for patience in terms of updating because now instead of three days off a week I'm going down to two. I just ask for patience. You'll be rewarded if you are :). Anyways, that's the end of that rant I suppose. I hope you enjoy this nice and long update! I'm aiming really hard to have the next one up before the middle of November (a month from now), maybe it'll be sooner...guess we'll see how Rachel decides to play along! Anyway, as Finn once said..." the show's gotta go, all over the place or something..." here's the next installment! 

* * *

**Chapter 11**  
Rachel grit her teeth as she lifted her body into a standing position. Her muscles ached as she stretched out her back. The ache in her legs, in her arms from staying outstretched in front of her for several counts was almost welcome. It was excruciating at first, the pain felt like fire in her muscles and acid in her lungs. But she charged on, went forward and made strides in the last three weeks that she had been at Carmel. She blew out a breath, pushing the long strand of hair that had drifted into her face out of the way.

"Good Rachel, you're making great progress. That was your longest squat yet," Luke, her physical therapist smiled down at her before he wrote her time down on her chart. "How does your knee feel?"

She passed another breath between her lips. "Okay...but I think I need to sit," she chuckled a little. Luke gave her a small smile as she started the slow walk to the chair that was only a few steps away. Rachel grabbed for the bottle of water she had grabbed from the lunch room and twisted off the lid. She brought the bottle to her lips and guzzled down the liquid ferociously. She eyed Luke out of the corner of her eye, watching him scribble notes in her file before tossing it back on the ledge that it had been sitting on. Her knee throbbed a bit, just from the extended use. It wasn't painful, not anymore. When she had begun the physical therapy a few days into her stay at Carmel, the pain had been excruciating. But each day she pushed through, because the physical pain was so much easier to get through. It was something she knew how to do - she knew how to heal her body, she had been doing it for years on her own. It was the mental and emotional pain that continued to beat at her.

It was almost enough to make her crumble. The thought of it made her shake, if she was honest. The thoughts of everything she had been through, everything the girls had been through and are still going through, caused a pain to squeeze her heart that was more than she felt she was strong enough to take. Her girls were everything to her, and to see them continuing to struggle despite everything her parents had done, despite everything she had done from her various beds in the last few weeks. They were suffering, even if they didn't show it. Staying in the hotel was taking its toll on them, that much she could see. Ayla still thought it was some great adventure, an extension of the ones she had gone on with them before. Ione on the other hand - she could see it was causing her little girl to crumble inside - and it scared her the most. More than anything she was going through herself.  
Hurt her, sure, but the moment her kids hurt - that took precedence.

She was going home today. Wherever home was. She tried not to think of that, tried not to let her mind wander to all of the uncertainties she felt at the moment. Rachel returned to her room after her session, and she slowly closed the door behind her for some privacy. She closed her eyes as the silence of her room surrounded her, only the sound of the seconds hand moving on the clock on the wall filling the silence. She opened her eyes to her surroundings and pushed her loose hair behind ear. The room was so quiet, something that had taken getting used to over the course of her stay. The hospital had been loud, and her apartment had been noisy, filled with life related sounds that came with living in an apartment building. The silence in her room here was almost deafening. But it was all changing again tonight. And she was ready.

She was feeling stronger, physically, than she had in months or maybe even years despite her outward appearances. The bruises and scabs were gone, the only physical reminders of the trauma she had experienced were the cast on her arm and the brace on her knee. She had made so much progress, but so little at the same time.

She had nightmares, reoccurring ones in which she watched in horror as Brody came at her and beat her to death in various arrangements, with various weapons. Sometimes he attacked the girls, Ione specifically. Those ones, she has been told, she woke up screaming from. Nothing she has tried has made them go away. Dr. Cohen, her main doctor here, has suggested she try medication to ease the burden of even just the nightmares, that cause her to lose sleep. Sleep is most important for her to continue to heal. But medication? It seemed so risky to her, such a big step - one that she wasn't sure she really needed. She just wanted to close this chapter, get on with her life and she was sincerely hoping getting out of here and back with her girls would be all the help she'll need. But she wasn't stupid. Her problems and the nightmares were bigger than anything she has experienced. Dr. Cohen told her the nightmares were a serious side effect of the trauma she had experienced, that she was exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. She almost laughed in his face the moment the words slipped from his lips, but at the same time his words gave her even the slightest bit of satisfaction. It meant, finally, someone was listening to her. Someone was hearing her. Someone believed her. Up until now she had felt that all anyone saw was her injuries. It was all anyone had wanted to discuss, focus on. Her injuries, she understood, had been a focal point because the whole lot of them had been serious. But she also knew her situation wasn't going to go away overnight. She knew it was going to take work. She was just unsure how to start building herself back up. It had been so long. Brody had beat her down over the years, tore every piece of her being. He had spent years telling her she was fat, worthless, ugly. It was going to take her forever to bounce back from that. And someone believing her story, someone taking her words into consideration - that was the first step in what would probably be a long journey of steps.

But now it was her time. And she was going to start by going home to her girls. The rest might take time, but it would come together eventually. One step at a time. 

* * *

As she walked up the hallway beside her father, she felt nervousness flood her being. She tried to walk slowly, keep the weight off her knee. It felt achy from the exercises she had done today, and she sensed that the feeling was only amplified as she got closer to the suite where her girls had been staying. Neither her or her dad said anything as they walked, she could tell he was trying to keep his pace slow so that he didn't walk too far ahead of her. She appreciated the gesture, and it reminded her of her younger years, when it was okay to feel safe, when it was alright to let her guard down. She didn't know how that felt anymore. Her father stopped at a door midway down the long hallway and Rachel felt herself take a deep, cleansing breath.

"Your Mom went to get the girls from school, we could barely get Ayla out of the suite this morning. She was so excited, bouncing up and down. Your mom had to bribe her with a big dinner that includes dessert with three cherries, according to her..." Leroy shook his head at the memory.

"Sounds like Ayla," Rachel smiled. Leroy got the door to the suite open and Rachel followed him inside. A warmth filled her in that moment. She closed her eyes for a moment and just took the second to take it all in. They weren't even in the room, and she could just _feel_ the girls. When she opened her eyes, she took in the surroundings. She noticed a fuzzy blanket laying on the couch that was in the sitting area, a colouring book on the coffee table. She saw a book that she didn't recognize, Wonder, sitting on the small kitchen table in the small kitchen spot. Life had gone on while she was gone. She pushed the feelings that were building down, pushing them to a faraway place to be dealt with at another time. She wasn't going to let circumstances ruin this for her.

"They should be back soon, school let out..."

"I remember what time school gets out," she cut him off quietly.

"Oh, right..." Leroy nodded. "Why don't you take a seat? Ayla really wanted to be the one to show you around. She even tidied up the girls room and everything..."

Rachel nodded. It made her smile a bit, to hear Ayla so excited. But at no mention of Ione's name, her worries that she had carried with her throughout her entire experience seemed to burrow further.

"Do you want a drink? We stocked the fridge a bit...there's juice and water and..."

"I'll just...I'll have water," she sighed. She stretched out her left leg a bit, before bending it again to sit comfortably.

"Do you want me to get you something to rest your knee on? Do you need..."

She shook her head. "I'm fine Dad. Just sore from therapy," she offered him a smile as he nodded at her before turning back to go to the kitchen area for her glass of water. She continued to look around the small space, taking in the furniture and everything in her surroundings. There were things everywhere that reminded her of the girls, but also that reminded her in stark contrast that this was a hotel room. This was temporary. This wasn't a home. Her heart ached as she thought about the turmoil this room had probably seen, thought about how scared she knew her daughters had been not just in the beginning but every night for the past month. It hadn't been easy on any of them, it had been hard enough for her to let them go and be here...but they had overcome. She only hoped that the future would continue on just as positively.

The door beeped only a few minutes later, signaling her Mother's return with the girls. Her dad made it to the couch when the door swung open, and placed the glass of water she had requested just moments ago, and thanks to her thoughts had already forgotten. Rachel turned her body at the sound, so she was facing the door. She wanted to see their reactions when they both laid eyes on her. They knew she was coming home, she had told them when she had seen them the previous night. And it sounded like her parents had reminded them this morning. She still couldn't wait to see them. She heard their voices before they walked in, and she felt her body warm at the thought. Sure, she had seen them pretty much every night after school and even for a few hours on the weekends while she was at Carmel, but this was different. This was permanent. There would be nothing except school and appointments to keep them apart. It was about to be almost, normal. Their new normal.

She almost felt herself tear up when they walked through the door. Their cheeks rosy and hands covered in gloves she didn't recognize and hats she had bought them months ago, they were like a sight for sore eyes. She few ridiculous at the feel of the burn in her eyes, but she couldn't help it. She took a deep shuddered breath as she watched them, watching her. No one moved for a second, the three of them trapped in a silent conversation that made Rachel's heart swell.

"Mommy!" Ayla was the first one to launch at her. "Mommy, you're here!" the giggle that left her lips gave life to Rachel's heart and caused it to fill to the point of almost bursting. "You're here Mommy!" she laughed madly as she bounded over to where she was sitting her couch.

"I am here," she laughed back. She wrapped her arms around Ayla in the moment, carefully hauling the little girl up into her lap. Her throat swelled as Ayla returned the hug excitedly and laid her head on her chest. Rachel closed her eyes at the feeling and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head. This was the feeling she had been waiting for, longing for. This felt like coming home.

She opened her eyes after a few seconds, at the feel of Ayla breaking away from embrace and moving her small hands to each cheek.

"I'm so happy Mommy...wait til you see my room!" her eyes lit up for a second as a giggle exploded from her lips. Rachel chuckled heartily for a moment before she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ayla's cheek once more. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ione standing to the side of the couch with her hands clasped at her waist. A smile peaked at her lips when she caught Rachel staring at her, causing one to appear on her lips that was bigger than before.

"What are you doing all the way over there, sweet girl?" Rachel smiled. "Come here!"

Ione shuffled along the carpet with her hands still clasped at her waist until she was in front of her. Rachel extended her right arm and gently took Ione's arm by the wrist, tugging her forward until she fell into a heap beside her on the couch. Ione fell with a huff and collided with her side a little roughly before sitting up in a hurry. Rachel could see that she was about to apologize, her eyes widening and the tears starting to brim.

"Sweet girl, what..." Rachel looked down at her and lifted her right hand so she could brush away her tears that were piquing at the corners of her eyes rapidly. Ayla scampered off her lap and instead, came to rest on her left side carefully.

Ione sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, before she hurriedly wiped at her tears with the pad of her thumb. "Nothing," she offered her a quiet and slow smile. "Nothing Mommy, nothing at all..." she whispered before resting her head on Rachel's shoulder. Rachel gently picked up her arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her into her side.

Ione curled into her more, so she was resting her chin on Rachel's chest. Rachel moved her hand so it was toying with the ends of Ione's hair in her ponytail.  
"I'm glad you're back Mommy," she whispered as she trained her green eyes up on her. "I don't want to be without you anymore," she whispered softly.

Rachel looked down at her intently, and unraveled her arm from around Ayla for a second, leading her to bounce off the couch to get something from their bedroom.  
"Never have to again sweet girl," Rachel whispered. Ione sighed happily and curled herself even more into Rachel's side just as Ayla came bounding back into the room with her American Doll in her hand. 

* * *

She let the girls pick where they wanted to eat. In all honesty, she would have been fine staying at the hotel to eat, maybe ordering room service. She had had a long day, and didn't really feel like going out again. She wanted to reacquaint herself with her girls as their mother, their caregiver. But the look on both Ayla and Ione's faces changed her mind quickly.

"I just want to change...or maybe brush my hair," she murmured as Ayla excitedly ran for the bedroom, screaming about changing her tights because they were too itchy and putting on a pretty headband. Ione, for her part, remained glued to Rachel's side as she had been since they had come home from school.

"You look just fine," Shelby commented. "Well, maybe we could pull your hair back..."

Rachel turned away and let the comment slide off her back. She turned her attention down to Ione who was looking back up at her.

"You going to change or anything sweetheart?" she asked quietly. Ione quickly shook her head and turned her attention down to the jeans she was wearing. She picked at an imaginary spot on her pants as a way to take the attention off of her.

Ayla came barreling back into the room with new bright pink tights and a flowery headband in her dark hair that Rachel didn't recognize.

"Alright, so everyone is ready then?" Leroy's voice filled the room as he walked back from behind them. He clapped his hands together. "Where are we going again?"

Ayla bounced on her toes and grabbed for his arm as she jumped around. "We want to go to Romano's!" she giggled.

"She loves Romano's," Ione mumbled against Rachel's chest.

"What about you?" Rachel asked quietly, not taking her eyes off Ayla's interaction with her father.

"It's okay," she shrugged her shoulders. "Their pasta is good..."

"Well that's good, you'll have to tell me what to get then," Rachel tried to give Ione an encouraging smile.

"Let's go then! I'm so hungry!" Ayla squealed. "Papa, let's go! Forget the slowpokes!" she giggled. "Mama, come on!"

Rachel laughed at Ayla's antics and started to push herself up onto her feet. Ione jumped up faster and stood up to the side of her, extending her hand out to help her to her feet. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Even though she was better, and getting better with mobility with her brace, she allowed Ione to help her.

"Thanks sweet girl," she smiled once she was upright. The beam that appeared on Ione's face was enough to satisfy Rachel. Ayla bounced on her toes as she moved slowly towards her and around the couch, before heading for the door. 

* * *

Once they stepped into Romano's, Rachel knew instantly why the girls liked it so much. It had a home style atmosphere with a distinct Italian theme. She watched with a small smile as the girls followed the handsome waitress with an obviously fake Italian accent though the maze of tables before they came to a booth. Both girls clamoured inside quickly and she followed after Ione, thankful for a moment to be on the edge. She wanted the space to rest her leg, achy now even more so thanks to the small walk to Romano's from the hotel down the street. She sighed as she stretched it out while trying to keep it out of the floor space that would trip another waitress or customer. As she had been on the other side, she could appreciate the struggle.

She took her time flipping through the menu, her stomach grumbling at some of the mouth watering pictures inside. She'd had lunch at Carmel, and while the food was pretty good there, it was subpar at best. She took note as she flipped that her parents didn't seem to need much time with the menu, and neither did Ayla. Ione took a second to flip through before flipping it closed and returning to playing tic tac toe with Ayla, something they had settled in from the moment they sat down.

"I don't know what to order," she mumbled as she flipped the pages. She ignored the prices, or tried to, telling herself not to think about. When she was back on her feet, literally and figuratively, she could worry - but with her parents looking at her intently from the other side of the table she tried to squash it down. That didn't help her decision on what to order though, as everything, expensive or not, looked delicious.

"I'm getting the spaghetti and meatballs, Mommy," Ayla announced as she pressed her crayon to the paper, her tongue coming out as she drew her X with concentration. "It's what I get every time!"

"So you guys have been here a lot?" she questioned. She turned her gaze to her parents. Both of them looked sheepish, but Shelby spoke up quickly.

"Not a lot, just...often," she answered. Rachel kept an eye on her mother as she fidgeted with her menu before reaching for her glass of water that had been brought over right after they sat down. "Just some special dinners, for some special girls," she smiled as she turned to the girls. Rachel furrowed her brow at her Mother, before turning her attention back to trying to decide what to get for herself.

"I think I'm going to try the gnocchi Mommy," Ione braved quietly as she waited for Ayla to play her last X. "It sounds good," she shrugged.

Rachel nodded and turned her menu to look at the page that had a description of the dish Ione had referenced. Yeah, it did sound good.

The waiter returned to take their order and collect the menus. When he left a silence descended over the three adults, while Ayla and Ione moved from tic tac toe to playing hang man. She watched them for a few moments with a contented smile on her face, as Ione tolerated the wrong guesses and watched as Ayla dutifully drew every limb on the stick figure person.

"So, how glad are you to be out, finally?" her mother asked after a few minutes. Shelby leaned forward to take a sip of her water once more.  
Rachel tore her eyes away from the girls for second, the smile still on her lips as Ayla quietly cheered when Ione, apparently, got a letter right. She reached forward and took hold of her utensils, peeling the paper that bound them together with the fingertips of her casted hand.

"I'll be even better when I can take this off," she raised her hand in example. "Maybe then I can get back to work or..."

"Work?" her mother's squawk took her by surprise. "Rachel, you just got out of the hospital a few hours ago and now you're talking about..."

Rachel cut her off, leveling a stare at her. "Mom, I know when I got out of the hospital. But I also know that the hospital isn't cheap and I have to repay you somehow," her voice dropped an octave when Ione looked over at her.

"Rachel," Leroy started.

"I have to work, how else will I take care of my girls?" she whispered, her head down.

And it was like that, in that moment, that the real world seemed to slam right in Rachel's face. She saw a look pass between her parents and she just waited, for whatever they were about to say. It was like this when she was younger, they would share a look and then she would hear what they had to say; good, bad, ugly or otherwise. Not that there was much of the latter during her childhood.

"We were thinking, that maybe, you guys would like to come back to Ohio with us..." her mother revealed, her own voice dropping to an octave that Rachel could barely hear.

Rachel dropped her casted arm to the table with a thunk. Both girls jumped in their seats and turned to look at her. An ache crept through her arm that passed quickly, more from the shock absorption than anything else.

"Mom, Dad, I..." she paused as she stumbled over her words. She looked down at her casted arm, and rubbed absently over one of the pictures that Ione and Ayla had drawn on the plaster in the past few weeks. "No," she whispered, before looking up at both of her parents. She didn't miss the broken down and defeated looks on their faces. She swallowed hard as she looked at them but tried to stand firm on what she was thinking and what she had decided.

"No?" her mother asked with a hint of surprise and shock in her tone. Rachel's gaze trailed over to her fathers. His facial expression also showed a look of surprise.

"I've already decided," she started with a whisper. She looked over at the girls who were still in their own little bubble, her heart aching as she looked at Ione distracting Ayla with another game of hangman. They were the reason she had chosen to stay here. New York was the city of dreams, that much she had decided for herself and for the girls. New York was the land of opportunity. It held the most promise, the most help, numerous advantages for her and the girls. And most of all, it was home. Or it could become home.

She took a deep breath before she continued her thoughts out loud. "New York is home, it's where...it's where we need to be," she started softly. "I've...I've talked it over with Mercedes, and even with Dr. Cohen at Carmel and...we're going to get help, here. Both me and the girls can benefit from everything this city can offer. They're going to help us, they're already helping us...I've been seeing a therapist that I'll continue to see and Mercedes is helping me out with finding us a safe place, she's connected me with the housing tribunal and they're going to get us a place..." she rambled, looking at the table once more. It was easier than to read the disappointment etched in her parents faces, particularly her mothers.

Out of her peripheral vision she could see that Ione had turned her body a little, so her back was half to Rachel. Rachel's heart hammered in her ears. A stance that was familiar to her, visions of fights Ione had had to shield Ayla from danced in her memory. In that instant Rachel was sure that if she had been on the end of the booth Ione would have taken Ayla's hand and led her away, to the bathroom or somewhere further away.

"Rachel, we're your family," her mother tried softly. Shelby reached her hand out and Rachel let her take it for a moment, curling her fingers around her mother's for even the briefest of seconds.

"Yes, of course," she stammered. Her eyes followed their connected fingers for a second before she continued on. "You've always been my family, and I cannot even begin to cover how grateful I am. How thankful I am that you came to help when I needed you the most. I don't have the words to fully describe how much it means to me and how much I'm sure it means to the girls. But it doesn't change that I haven't had you, for six years," Rachel flinched away from her mothers hand and placed her own hand on Ione's back in a soothing motion."But like I said, Mercedes is helping us. She's helping us get back on our feet, the city is going to help us...and for the first time in a really long time I feel hope. Not a lot of it, but I feel hopeful that things are going to get better. And getting better means staying here... I need to get back to my life," her voice dropped an octave. "I need to get back to normal and I can't do that if I step all the way back to Ohio...I need to do this. For me. For them," Rachel allowed her gaze to fully turn to her girls. She found Ione's back to her still and continued to rub comforting circles on her back, but she connected with Ayla's wide gaze. She swallowed hard, realizing they had heard all that. But it was the truth. She was their Mom. She had always wanted to be their Mom, even when things were the hardest. It had killed her these past few weeks not to be the Mom she knew she was at her fullest potential. She was desperate to get things going, move forward, start their new future. She needed to rip the band aids off and finally shake herself free of Brody. A sinking feeling fell to her stomach as she thought his name. Weeks later and still caused bile to rise in her throat and a gurgle in her stomach.

"I appreciate everything, and I mean every single thing you have done for me and us in the last few weeks and I swear one day I'm going to pay you back..." she swallowed. She had a sudden urge to repeat herself. She was sure they understood her, sure they got the picture. But she needed to reiterate her point. Needed them to just understand. Everything was painful, everything tore at her inside. But she also needed to take control back, needed to start moving up and moving on. It scared her, shitless. But they needed this. Another uprooting move would upset everything she was looking to keep as normal as possible "But we're staying here," she sucked in a breath like she was desperate for air and waited for a reaction from her parents.

Her father was the first to crack.

"Rachel, is this what will make you happy? Help you in the end?" he questioned softly.

She nodded her head briefly before cocking it to the side. "It's not about my happiness though, Daddy," she replied. "It's about them...and these past few months and years have been hard enough and I just...we just need a fresh start but without anymore upheaval," she answered.

Leroy blinked a few times before he nodded his head in agreement. She saw the wheels turning in her mother's head as she stared at her, mascara covered lashes blinking at her a few times over.

The waiter appeared with the girls meals, and Rachel busied herself trying to help them. Ayla wanted her meatballs cut and Ione wanted cheese. Busy work took her mind off the conversation for a second. She heard water glasses clink across the table and when she finally looked away from the girls plates after stealing a bite of Ione's gnocchi with a grin, she faced her parents. She felt bad when she saw the tears that had appeared in her mother's eyes, even if she was unsure about what she had said that had caused them. She hadn't said anything mean or untrue.

"Mom," she started.

Mercedes had helped her, immensely, with plans for the immediate future in regards to housing. She just had no idea, to the extent her mother and father had thought about it too.

"I just...I'm worried about you, sweetheart..."

Something pinched in Rachel's chest. She dropped her head to the place mat in front of her and waited a few beats. It had been nice, having her parents here and around, helping with the girls. At first it had felt so foreign to her, to have help, to have someone to lean on, someone to trust...but she had become comfortable, as much as she could over the past few weeks. But she knew it wouldn't last forever. They had uprooted their lives, they had a dog for goodness sake, but she still struggled with how to deal with the entire situation and dynamic.

"Mom," she whispered. "this isn't the end," she smiled. "You can't get rid of us that easily, right girls?" she laughed just as the waiter showed up with their meals. Ayla softly giggled into her fork and nodded her head along with Rachel's words.

Her mother seemed to take the statement to heart and offered her a warm smile. Rachel blew a breath from between her lips before picking up her fork and digging in to her own pasta and meatballs dish. 

* * *

Rachel's right leg bounced as she sat outside of the office of the Housing tribunal. She was nervous, but for the first time in a good long while, or so she thought - it was a good nervous. Mercedes had sent her here, had gone as far as she could on her behalf with them, and now she needed to finish the arrangements. She felt like a swarm of butterflies was competing in her stomach, and it was almost a welcome feeling compared to the ache that had been there for the last few weeks. Her knee rested outstretched in front of her, and she wished for one moment that she could have worn something other than yoga pants. But it was all that fit over her knee brace comfortably, and when her mother had learned that...well, she had gone overboard and purchased a dozen or so pairs from Target.

She had asked them to stay at the hotel. The girls had school and she had seen them off, but once they were gone she had gone downstairs, carefully, by herself. She had bundled herself up in her coat and carefully, slowly, made her way down to the lobby. She knew they were watching, but she needed to do this herself.

The first step to getting to her new normal. In all honesty she didn't want her Mom or Dad's opinion to influence her decisions. After the conversation at dinner the night before they seemed to be understanding to a fault. Her father had been more understanding and she knew there was probably a huge conversation going on back at the suite. But she kept her chin up. She needed to gain control back of her life, and the first step was securing her and the girls a safe place to live.

"Rachel Berry?" she was jolted from her thoughts when she heard her voice. She looked up to find an older woman looking over at her, a kind smile on her otherwise pale looking face. The redheaded woman took a step outside her door as she clamoured to her feet. She stuck out her hand to her when she was finally on her feet. "I'm Emma Pillsbury, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rachel offered her a soft smile and extended her hand to shake. She nodded, and took her hand back when Emma pulled away. Rachel followed her into the office and immediately reached for the chair closest to her to sit down in. Her knee was achy today, but she'd work through it. Sharing a bed with both Ayla and Ione last night hadn't been the best idea but they had begged her, and she couldn't really say no.

Rachel waited as she watched Emma flip through a file folder in front of her.

"Mercedes called, about an hour ago and she sends her regards. She isn't able to meet with us today as she was called away to a meeting, but she's kept me up to date on your case and passed on her notes," Rachel nodded at her words and folded her hands in her lap. She had been hoping Mercedes would be here, given her some support. She straightened her shoulders as she looked at Emma and bit her lip. She could do this. It was the first, albeit really important, step in overcoming all of the obstacles that have held her back both lately and in the past few years.

"We've managed to secure an apartment for you and your daughters," Emma offered her a bright smile. "We have a vacancy in one of our city run buildings, just over on 3rd Street. Mercedes requested that you be within the boundaries of Parkview Elementary School, and while it is a little further away than we would like we managed to keep you within the bounds," Emma smiled.

Rachel blew out a breath between her lips. "Can you tell me about it?" she sighed with relief.

Emma smiled back and turned her computer screen towards her. "Of course." 

* * *

Rachel twisted her fingers in her hands, before she tried to push her pinky under the cast on her left wrist to try and reach an itch in her palm. She blew a breath between her lips as she couldn't quite reach it and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the door to the small office opened from behind her. This was the first time she was meeting Michelle, her therapist, outside of Carmel.

"Good morning Rachel," the small older woman smiled as she closed the door behind her. "It's good to see you out and about, how are you feeling this morning?" the older woman smiled as she chose the big comfortable chair across from her.

"I'm feeling," she paused to take a deep breath. "I'm feeling okay," a smile pushed onto her lips as she shifted to get comfortable in her seat, as Michelle opened her leather bound notebook.

Michelle smiled back with a nod. "So you were released from Carmel yesterday, you went back to the hotel with your parents, how did that go?"

Rachel took a moment to look down at her pants, pulling at an imaginary pill that only she could see on the material. She allowed several beats to pass between them. The reunion had been everything she wanted. But the conversation with her parents that had followed at Romano's of all places had not. It had left her disappointed in herself. It left her feeling nervous.

"Rachel?" Michelle pressed when the quiet became too much.

"Oh. Sorry," she lifted her head and blinked a few times before she spoke, trying to collect her thoughts. "It was...it was good. Nice to be with the girls again. Ayla was the most excited. She's always been my talker, miss chatty," her voice drifted.

"And how did Ione react?" Michelle asked carefully.

Rachel took another moment before answering the question. "She was...she was quiet. But happy, too. I could see it in her eyes, that she was really happy to see me...she just...she has a different way of showing it..."

"You're worried about her," Michelle commented.

"Of course I'm worried about her. I'm worried about both of them. They're my girls. And they've been through everything with me and..." she paused and looked away. "My parents wanted me, wanted us to go back to Ohio with them..." She turned away from Michelle's empathetic look to face the cabinet to her left, her vision focused on the blooming plant that rest on top.

"And how did that make you feel?"

Rachel turned away from the plant only to look down at her hands again.

"I love my parents," she started quietly. "But I've been alone, out here for so long...that it's hard for me to trust them...and I can't really forget that they left me when I needed them the most. I needed them to protect me and they stayed away..."

"Rachel, you know that that's not true, right?" Michelle interrupted.

"How is it not true, if it happened?" her voice stammered through the words. "It's what happened. They left me as the abuse was really starting and..." her voice trailed off in that moment, lost in her memories that she had tried for years to repress. She had kept them beneath the surface because as much as it hurt, to be abandoned, her reality was so much worse day in and day out.

"Do you remember the last conversation you had with your parents?" Michelle asked quietly. "Before you woke up and saw them in your hospital room, what was the last conversation you had..."

Rachel swallowed hard. The lump in her throat formed quickly.  
"Ayla was two weeks old, maybe a few days passed that...my parents called almost daily when I moved out here with Brody and...even more so after she was born...and then one day they called a lot. Over and over. Ayla had colic and Ione was just a toddler...she didn't know what was going on and Brody got annoyed. He beat the shit out of me that night," she let out a shuddered breath. She had only said the words out loud a handful of times, to the police, to Mercedes, and now to Michelle. Every time she said the words it took every ounce of her not to throw up. She hung her head down after the words left her lips. Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, a million miles an hour.  
"...I can't remember the last words I said to them, because that night...that night Brody punched me in the face for the first time. The first time in a long line of punches. Probably broke my nose that night," she breathed as she brought her casted hand up to her face, and slowly ran it over her nose to feel the distinctive bump from where it had never fully healed. "But I had to run and try to calm Ayla down because she was flipping out and he was mad that I had let her cry that long..." she trailed off with a scoff, her mind taking her back to that time. She shivered as she remembered how it felt, how she had sunk desperately into the rocking chair in Ayla's room and cried silently as she tried to get her to nurse. She remembered it all so clearly, and her breath hitched in her throat. Her knee ached and she stretched it out from the bent position she had settled in when she came into the office. "And the next day...he bought me a new cell phone. New number. Everything. Everything was under his name. He didn't say the words, but I knew then...that I wasn't to talk to them again...couldn't give them the number...I hadn't even written the return address on the birth announcement because he told me we didn't need to..."

"What he did, Rachel, was part of his abuse. He wanted you away from them, so you couldn't run. He alienated you from your family so you would depend on him and only him..."

She didn't raise her head. She knew these things. But hearing someone else say it? Hearing the words from someone else's mouth? It made it all come alive in screaming colour.

"But he's gone now. He's in jail. That much you've told me since we met back at Carmel," Michelle spoke carefully. Rachel felt her fingers tremble as she curled them in her lap.

"He's in jail," Rachel repeated. "He's in jail."

Michelle nodded along with her words from where she sat across from her.

"And you and the girls, are safe. Your parents have kept them safe while you were starting to get better. They have never stopped loving you Rachel. It's not something parents do. Just like you didn't stop loving the girls every moment you were away from them, correct me if I'm wrong."

Rachel stayed silent. There was so much truth to her words and she felt her throat swelling again. She looked up from her lap and looked across at Michelle. She was staring back at her intently. Rachel knew the ball, figuratively, was in her court.  
"They were all I could think about. They are all I can think about. And staying in New York, staying here...is most important. I can't uproot them anymore. I can't traumatize them anymore than they already have been. Everything has changed around them. Even the clothes on their backs - everything is different for them. Staying here and getting them help and getting us on our feet well that is the only thing I have left to prove to them that everything is going to be okay for us."

Michelle put her book down beside her and clasped her hands together in her lap. Rachel's chest heaved as the words she had spoken caught up to her. She took several deep breaths as her fingers trembled and she struggled to get herself under control.

"I'm afraid," she whispered. Michelle continued to look at her. "I'm so afraid I'm doing everything wrong. Emma Pillsbury, at the housing tribunal? She found me this gorgeous apartment. It's small, but that's fine, huh," she chuckled a little bit. "But I'm terrified of everything that's coming. Look, my hands shake at the thought...not that you can see it on this one with the cast," she held up her left hand before slowly placing it back down in her lap.

"You've already done the hard part though Rachel," Michelle commented once a few beats had passed between them.

"And what's that?" she asked quietly, even though she knew the answer.

"You survived." 

* * *

The bright sunshine of the early afternoon sun felt great on her face. Rachel jammed her hands in her pockets as she let the feeling of the midwinter sun soak into her pores. She sucked in a deep breath, there was something different about the winter air. It felt crisp in her lungs, like ice crystals were forming in her veins. But at the same time, she felt so alive when the feeling burned through her. She took a few steps away from the building and in an instant she decided to get a cup of coffee, and really soak in the day. The ache in her knee had ebbed, and she wanted to take advantage of the moment alone. She crossed the street carefully and approached the small coffee shop. When she entered, she breathed in the smell of coffee and baked goods and her stomach grumbled at the thought of a warm bagel or freshly baked muffin.

A tidal wave of relief had flooded over her after she left Michelle's office. She felt drained, emotionally, but the relief that cloaked over her was one that she was unfamiliar with. She felt good. Steady, even if she wasn't physically. She'd had a long morning and the grumble in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since the small breakfast she had with the girls. She walked, slowly, up to the counter and ordered herself a small coffee and a warm blueberry muffin. The barista smiled at her before handing her change and setting about getting her coffee ready before grabbing the muffin to warm up. Rachel waited patiently by the counter, but let her gaze wander around the small restaurant. It had been so long, she thought to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest, since she had been able to do this by herself.

She chose her spot carefully, once her order was ready. She chose a bar stool with a table that faced the street, the brightest spot in the small shop thanks to the floor to ceiling windows. As she sipped her warm coffee, she allowed the bitter taste of the liquid to flood her veins and warm up her cool extremities. She hadn't had a lot of coffee in the last few weeks, and the few instances she had it hadn't been particularly good. Hospital food was never good, so it wasn't really a surprise when the coffee was just as terrible. She sipped the drink slowly, as she watched life outside the window continue on around her. Another comfort she had developed in the last few weeks, especially during her time at Carmel. People watching. With Brody behind bars, awaiting judgement for what he had done to her, she felt herself let a little bit of relaxation slip over her. Carmel had offered her a lot of opportunities in her downtime to take in her surroundings, become comfortable in her own skin, in her own new normal...or what was going to be her new normal. Patients like her swept the grounds even with the colder temperatures and snow on the ground. She hadn't ventured outside much, if at all, unless she had Luke or a nurse with her. Colder temperatures caused her knee to ache uncomfortably so she tried to avoid exposure for long periods. But this felt good. It had been so long, since she didn't have to look over her shoulder. It had been so long since she could just sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee without fear dripping from every corner. A feeling that was going to take some getting used to.

She played with the protective sleeve around the paper cup as she stared out the window, her eyes moving back and forth over the sidewalk in front of her that was dusted with snow. This was just the beginning. She bit into her muffin as she continued to look out the window, the sweet taste a treat to her senses. This was just the beginning, for sure. 

* * *

Rachel slipped into the suite and tried not to draw attention to herself. The room was quiet, but the second she stepped inside she realized why. Both of her parents had stood up from the couch where they had been sitting. The look on her Mother's face showed worry etched on her features and she almost ducked her head against the feeling that was ebbing towards her in waves. She wasn't going to be sorry for taking time for herself, but she appreciated the worry all the same.

"You're back," Shelby started. "We were..." her father cleared his throat and Shelby blushed. "I was starting to get worried about you. We should get you a new cell phone or something..."

Rachel shook her head at her mother's babble. She shucked off her coat and tucked it over the back of a chair that belonged in the kitchen area before slowly making her way around the room, towards them. She could feel her mother's anxiety radiating off her, she knew she had questions and wanted answers. She had seen the crushing look in her features when Rachel had announced she wanted to go herself to her appointments this morning. But she had to do this. She had to stand on her own.

"I don't need a cell phone," she shrugged in response. She moved through the suite slowly. and came to a stop in front of them. She chewed her lip as she looked at them. "Thanks though," she offered. Her mother nodded before moving around her and fussing towards the kitchen area. Her father nodded his head before taking his place again on the couch. Rachel watched him intently for a moment as Shelby banged around in the kitchen. She waited for him to grab the newspaper that was sitting on the table in disarray, obviously abandoned when she came back. Shelby fluttered back into the area, bearing a few sandwiches and a couple bottles of water.

"You were gone so long, figured you might be hungry..." she worried.

"I stopped for a coffee, and a muffin...after my appointment with Michelle," she answered quietly.

Shelby nodded slowly and put the plate down on the table. Rachel could tell there were questions on the tip of Shelby's tongue. She reached forward for the bottle of water and popped the lid quickly before taking a sip. After she twisted the lid closed and stuffed it under her leg, she turned to Shelby. "Just ask Mom."

Shelby crossed and uncrossed her legs at the ankle and played with the hem of her sweater. "How did the meeting with the housing tribunal go?" she asked quietly before she reached forward and grabbed one of the sandwiches off the plate. She held up the other half to Rachel and she once again shook her head.

Rachel swallowed and leaned back on the couch to get comfortable. "They found us a place, it's within walking distance of the girls school and it's tiny, but it's going to be ours. As soon as we want it. It's ours."

"So that's it then," Shelby used her free hand to push the crumbs off her lap.

"Shelby," her father's voice was laced with a warning tone.

"Leroy," she sighed. Rachel blinked back and forth between her parents.

"Mom, Dad," she sighed. She brought her hands up to her hair and scratched at her scalp for a moment. She really wanted to take a hot shower right about now.  
"I'm still going to need you," she stated without much invitation for further comment. "This isn't the end, like I said last night. I'm always going to need you. We just...because of our situation things are fast tracked and we get to go to the top of the list. Emma, our worker, showed me pictures and it's really nice. I was thinking when we go get the girls we can go check it out. She said she would phone over and let the landlord know we were taking it. This is good, Mom and Dad. This is really good. We need this." She looked between the two of them. "This is what we need. We'll be okay." 

* * *

She cupped her hand around her eyes, guarding her vision from the winter sunlight that was impeding her. She was excited to see the girls, couldn't wait to tell them about the exciting development. Her father had stayed back at the hotel, his phone had been buzzing all day with work related calls and after their conversation, her mother had tasked him with getting a hold of a moving van. She felt exhilarated, like she had a renewed sense of direction. She hadn't felt like this in a long time, hadn't felt the hope that Emma and the housing tribunal were offering in such a long time. They needed a fresh start and she felt confident that a new place to live would be the first step. She tried to put aside the conversation she had with Michelle, bury those worries and fears and revelations and focus on the positive. It was a practice she was used to, and she tried not to let it colour her vision of the future.

The bell rang and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, abandoning the shield her hand provided as a cloud moved in front of the sun. Her eyes flickered around as children of all ages flooded down the steps of the school. She had missed this. Missed being, normal, missed being the one to take care of her kids. As cold as it was outside right now, the late February air was cool on her cheeks and she was sure they were going to be rosy from the exposure, but she didn't mind one bit. The excited chatter of the kids in the yard wrapped around her and she kept her eye out for her girls.

"Mommy!" Rachel's head snapped around when she heard Ayla's voice. Rachel grinned when she eyed Ayla running towards her, her backpack banging against her back as she approached. Ayla threw her arms around Rachel's waist when she was within reach and giggled when she buried her face in the material of her coat. "I'm so excited to see you Mommy!" she laughed heartily. Rachel leaned down so she was face to face with Ayla, and tapped her on the nose as she giggled some more.

"And I'm so excited to see you, because I have a surprise for you and Ione," Rachel's eyes widened as she looked at Ayla, who reciprocated the look.

"A surprise?" she asked softly, her eyes darted over to Shelby after a moment. "Does Nana know?"

Rachel flicked her eyes up to look at Shelby for a moment before she looked back at Ayla. "Nana does know. We just have to wait for Ione to come out, she's being a slow poke!" Rachel joked.

"She wasn't at the meeting spot inside Mommy," Ayla answered sweetly. "I waited but I didn't want to sit on the bench," her voice lowered as she shook her head. "And I knew Nana would be out here..."

Rachel nodded, the sudden lump that was in her throat closing her airway.  
"I'll go find her," Shelby interrupted.

Rachel stood up straight and cleared her throat. "No, it's alright. I'll go find her. Why don't you guys go over to the jungle gym over there?" she pointed to the small set of swings and slides. "We'll come find you..."

Ayla squealed and immediately tugged on Shelby's hand before pulling her towards the park area.

Rachel straightened her jacket and started towards the school as the lump in her throat began to subside, but not by much. Her worries about her girls, Ione specifically came racing back as she made her way slowly up the stairs and into the school. The hallway was quiet, just a few students heading for the door. She kept to herself as her eyes darted about, to make sure she didn't miss Ione. When she walked passed the bench, which was the meeting place Ayla was referring to, she met the eyes of the secretary through the window and immediately looked away. Her face flushed with emotion and she tried not to let the judgemental stare she couldn't just be imagining get to her. When she didn't find Ione in the hallway she headed for the classroom. But before she could even knock on the door, she stopped in her tracks. She paused against the door way and tried to keep out of sight as she looked in.

Ione was sitting at her desk with her head down. Mr. Hudson crouched beside her, a pencil poised in his hand. Her heart hammered in her chest and blood rushed to her ears as she watched. When Ione looked up, Rachel caught her eye and noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Mom," Ione's voice barely met her ears as she entered the classroom and approached. Mr. Hudson stood up as she approached.

"Miss Berry," Mr. Hudson greeted. Rachel's heart slowed as she made eye contact with the teacher for a brief moment before her eyes darted back to Ione. "It's good to see you up and around. Ione just had some questions about a math assignment I assigned the other night and we were just getting to the bottom of it, weren't we Ione?" Rachel caught Mr. Hudson's smile from the corner of her eye. She looked back at Ione in time to see her nodding.

"I get it now," she whispered, looking between both her mom and Mr. Hudson.

"Good stuff," Mr. Hudson smiled broadly.

"Well thanks for helping her," Rachel breathed as she turned her attention solely to him."I appreciate it. It's been a little crazy the last few days and it's going to be an even crazier few days because we're moving this weekend," she stumbled. She heard Ione gasp and she sighed, knowing she had just blew the surprise. "We should be going, we've kept you behind long enough. Thanks again," she rambled, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she suddenly felt self conscious about her casted hand. "Ione, get your stuff..."

Ione quietly nodded and pushed her chair back to go collect her things. "Thanks Mr. Hudson," she mumbled.

"You're more than welcome," Mr. Hudson smiled before he redirected his attention to Rachel. "It's no problem at all, we've been working through a few things with math and I'm happy to help," he smiled. Rachel nodded slowly as she stared back at him.

"I don't know if she'll be in class on Monday," she added slowly. "We're moving," she repeated, "And I don't know how long that's going to take because it's just my parents and..."

"I can help," Mr. Hudson blurted suddenly.

Rachel dropped her jaw a little bit as the sounds of Ione wrestling with her school bag in the hallway flowed in.

"I can help," he repeated. "You guys move, I mean. I have an SUV, and well my stepdad has a truck so I could always borrow that...but I can help, if you need...or if its okay."

"You don't have to do that," Rachel whispered. "That's...that's too much...you've done so much for Ione already," she blushed. She had heard stories, from Ione, from her Mom, about how much Mr. Hudson had helped while she was in the hospital.

She watched him crack a smile and cross his arms over his chest. "Well, is there going to be pizza?"

She chuckled carefully as she pulled her hands out of her pockets. She toyed with the edge of her cast. "Of course there'll be pizza. That's a given, isn't it? When you move Mr. Hudson?" she grinned.

"Then I'm there. Especially if there's pizza," he winked.

"If you're sure," she asked quietly.

"I want to, and I'm sure," he smiled. He took a few steps to his desk and grabbed a scrap paper and a pen. She bit her lip as she watched him scribble something quickly on the paper before thrusting it at her. "Here's my number. Call me when the plan is set up. I want to help. Let me help."

Rachel took the piece of paper from him while she bit her lip particularly hard. "Okay," she whispered. "That would help so much, you have no idea."

Finn shrugged his shoulders and gave her a half smile. "Thank you...Mr. Hudson, you don't know how much this means to me. How much everything means to me..."

He shrugged again. Rachel nodded slowly and turned to leave the classroom.

"Oh, and Miss. Berry?" Mr. Hudson called before she reached the door. Rachel felt herself turn slowly so she was facing the tall teacher one more time.

"Call me Finn," he smiled. "I mean, this weekend...outside of school hours...call me Finn," he stumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. She nodded with a smile before turning on her heel to take the girls to see their new home. 

* * *

As usual, any and all mistakes are mine. I take artistic license for everything and of course don't own Finn, Rachel, Leroy or Shelby. Just Ione, Ayla and the plot. Hope you enjoyed! Until next time!


	13. Chapter 12

**Surprise! I know I just tweeted the other day (yesterday, in fact) that this chapter wasn't finished. After further review, and consulting with my two co-conspirators I felt like I was at a place where I could finish it off. In reality, it was already finished! It's not as long as the previous installment, but I promise (at least I think it is) a good one!**

 **I can't promise when the next update will be as Friday is officially the start of what is the insane time in my work life. But I will try my best to get it out before the years out. I don't want to let you guys down and have you all (or whoever is left) abandon me!**

 **Anyway, special thanks to Lauren and my mom for reading this over a million times. I'm actually surprised at how well this chapter came together with no solid plan written out. I hope you all enjoy it! Same disclaimer as always.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

The weight of the key felt heavy and unfamiliar in her hand. Rachel struggled for a minute against her emotions as she held the silver key and closed her palm around the small item that to her meant so much. To her it meant her future was that much closer. It meant freedom. It meant no more punches to the face or the stomach or unwanted sexual advances. It meant she had found an escape. It meant she had survived.

It was early in the morning, so early that neither of the girls were awake yet, or either of her parents. She sat on the balcony of the suite, high off the ground and wrapped in a blanket that she had gotten housekeeping to bring up. She sat with the plush linen wrapped around her body as she sipped at the coffee she had made for herself, the bitter taste still a little too much on her tongue - just like yesterday. She used to love coffee. He had even managed to take that away from her as well.

She turned the key over and over in the palm of her hand, letting the cool brass imprint itself on her skin. She was nervous, she'd admit to that. It was all coming together so quickly, and she was feeling anxious beyond belief. This little key held so much for her, and she was terrified that she was going to screw everything up. She brought the mug of coffee up to her lips and tried to allow the warmth of the drink to spread through her. But it wasn't enough. Her stomach turned at the thought of everything that was going to happen today, and she tried to breathe. But as she closed her eyes against the feeling, she was plagued immediately by memories of what she now had coined with Michelle to be her prior life.  
 _  
New York. They were moving to New York, and it was happening - today. She felt the rush of anxiousness flush through her veins as they waited for their plane to board. They had packed up her small apartment in the past few weeks and sent it along by transport, in order for it to meet them at the new apartment Brody had gotten them. She rubbed her large bump several times as the baby inside did back flips or something that felt a little bit like gymnastics. She felt nervous. She was leaving everything that she knew, all the security she had built herself and following Brody into the unknown. The little girl inside her kicked softy as if she was acknowledging Rachel's feelings, just as Brody came back, a giggling Ione strapped to his back.  
"Here you are, my lady," Brody smiled as he handed her the bottle of water he had gone to get her. "Might have given Ione a little bit of chocolate milk, hope that's okay," he gave her a look she couldn't quite read. She shifted in her chair, the baby was pressing pretty incessantly on her kidneys, and she only had the power to nod her head yes.  
"New York is going to be amazing," he sighed as he stood in front of Rachel. "help me take her off?" he interrupted. Rachel put down her water bottle and she reached up to help Ione out of the backpack he had strapped her in. Ione squirmed as her feet hit the floor. "You're going to love the apartment. It's so big, the girls can have their own rooms!" he took Ione's hands in his and moved them in an excited motion. "It's going to be great Mom!" he cheered in a high voice.  
_  
She hadn't known then, but that day had been the start of her nightmare. She clutched her hand around the key once more, until the small object left an imprint on her hand. Her casted hand held the coffee mug, and she twisted her fingers as much as she could around the handle. She felt nervous, in that moment, about the future. Every time she thought about it, tried to feel excited or happy or even nervous about the future, memories of the past came back in floods. She pressed the key harder into her hand just as the door behind her slowly slid open. She put down her coffee mug on the small table beside the door and wiped her eyes as best she could while still staying under the blanket. She sat up in time to see Ione tip toe onto the balcony and Rachel couldn't help but allow a small smile to come to her lips.

"Hey there sweet girl," Rachel smiled. "What are you doing up so early?"

Ione shrugged slowly as she approached. Rachel lifted the blanket so Ione could sit down beside her and cuddled her into her side to keep her warm. "I couldn't sleep anymore," she shrugged again as she leaned into Rachel. "Ayla was kicking in her sleep again," she sighed. Rachel nodded. Ayla had always been a kicker in her sleep. Even when she was a newborn.

"Well, tonight maybe you'll be able to sleep in your own bed again," Rachel offered quietly.

Ione only nodded and leaned into Rachel's side again. "Mommy?" she asked after a few minutes.

Rachel turned to look at her, and her small peaceful smile faltered when she saw the way Ione's own features had turned down.

"Yeah sweet girl, what's going on in your mind?" she asked quietly.

Ione looked down at her fingers and twisted them in her lap. Rachel waited for Ione to speak.

"...I'm scared about the new house," she stumbled out quietly.

Rachel turned her attention to fully focus on Ione. "What are you scared about sweetheart? You saw it yesterday, with me," she paused as she reached over and pushed her messy hair back from her face. "You like it, don't you?"

Ione shrugged again and moved into the touch Rachel was giving her. "It is nice," she started. Ione looked up at the floor above them. Rachel could see the ideas and thoughts turning in her head. She had once said Ione wasn't expressive, that she was her closed off little girl. But truth was she told everything in her eyes.

When she turned her head back down and looked at her, she saw thoughts swimming in her green irises.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if she was trying to figure out what to say. "I'm just..." her forehead crumpled as she turned to look at Rachel.

"Mom, where's Brody?" she asked quietly.

Rachel looked at her, her own mouth dropping. Her heart pumped in her chest and pushed the blood up through her ears. She cleared her throat.

"Ione," she started. She cleared her throat again; she felt like a lump was growing faster than she could get ahead of. She breathed deeply before turning her body so she was facing Ione head on. She gently searched under the blanket for Ione's hand, curling her fingers around her smaller one when she found it. "Ione, Brody is in jail," she said finally. The words hung in the air, tightly in front of her.

Rachel swallowed hard. She squeezed Ione's fingers, again, as she looked at her intently. Ione looked back at her with a look that was just as intense. She saw the questions swirling in her eyes, but no other emotion flicked across her features. Rachel's heart squeezed in that moment. She realized then, how much Ione must have been suffering. She realized how her original plan, to keep the intricacies of what exactly had happened from her girls - was probably not the greatest idea she had ever had **.** **  
**  
"I didn't tell you, did I?" Rachel offered. When Ione shook her head and ducked her face so Rachel couldn't see, Rachel almost whimpered. "Oh sweet girl." She pulled her arm out from beneath the blanket and gestured for Ione to get up from her chair and sit on her lap. In place of the indecision that was usually on her features, Ione quickly slipped from beneath the blanket and without reservation sat slowly on Rachel's lap. Rachel replaced the blanket and moved her knee slowly so a lot of Ione's weight wasn't on it. She kissed her head as Ione curled up against her chest, against her heart.

"Is he going to get out?" Ione asked quietly. The fear that laced her innocent voice caused Rachel's heart to seize in an instant.

"I don't know the answer to that sweetheart," she started quietly. "But I do know, that I am never going to let him come near us again. The police are never going to let him come near us again. Nana and Papa are never going to let anything happen to us sweetheart," she whispered. "He's in jail honey. And the court is going to keep him away from us because he really, seriously hurt me. And he hurt you. And that's not okay. That's never okay."

Ione was quiet, as she played with the few loose threads on the top of the blanket Rachel was laying on.

"But what if that doesn't happen?" she asked so softly that Rachel almost missed the words. "What if he finds us at the new apartment," she questioned.

"Ione," Rachel sighed. She pulled her tighter, squeezing her to her chest. She placed a few kisses on her head, and in that moment Rachel felt thankful that she was still able to do this, still able to hold her. Brody hadn't been able to take that away from her. He hadn't been able to take away her girls, like he had promised to do so often. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she just held Ione.

"I'm really scared Mommy," Ione whispered against Rachel's chest.

Rachel's heart pounded. The fear that dripped from Ione's voice cracked her down to her very soul. "I was so scared, when you didn't come. But Mr. Hudson stayed with us, and protected us. And then when we couldn't find you...I thought...Mommy I thought you were gone," her voice dripped. She tensed with the feeling of regret, that traced through her body. Ione quieted then, and wrapped herself around Rachel more.

"Listen to me," Rachel swallowed quietly. She brought her casted hand up and used her fingers to tilt Ione's face up to hers. The little girls eyes glittered, but no tears had fallen from her pretty green eyes.

"Nothing, not Brody, or anyone else...can ever take me away from you. You know that right?" Rachel sighed. "You are my life, Ione. I love you so unbelievably much, more than anything. I'm going to protect you sweetheart. We're safe now. You're safe now. It's okay to feel okay. He's never going to hurt us again...I won't let it happen," she sighed. She pursed her lips before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before, Ione," she whispered.

"Mommy, it doesn't feel okay," she whispered. Ione curled into Rachel more. It was like she was trying to make herself as small as possible; it was her comfort position - something she has done for as long as Rachel could remember. Rachel sighed and pulled her closer as she pressed a few kisses to her head.

"It's okay to not feel okay," she offered. "It's not going to feel okay all at once. But the new apartment - it's our first step."

"Do you promise he's not going to come find us?" Ione asked in a small voice. "He's not going to get out, ever, right?" her questions were like a lightening bolt to her heart. "I don't want to see him again Mommy. I...don't ever wanna see him again..." she whispered.

"I..." she paused, trying to figure out how to phrase the answer, so that it wouldn't instill more fear into Ione. Her voice was already dripping with enough of it to last a lifetime. "All I can promise, Ione, is that I am going to try my very best to ensure you never have to see Brody again."

* * *

She hated moving. She hadn't done it a lot in her short lifetime, but each time made Rachel hate it even more than the last. Her Mom took the girls out for breakfast in the hotel restaurant while she and her father went over to her old apartment one more time. She wrung her hands as they rode over, because she had arranged for Mr. Hudson, err - Finn, to meet them over there. They needed the bulk of the help, getting beds and other things from this apartment to the new one. But she wasn't nervous because of what this meant - what chapter this closed. She was nervous because Finn was coming up. She was worried about that he was going to judge her. The place was still in shambles, to her knowledge. Her landlord was being patient, allowing her to take her time and had promised she wasn't responsible for cleanup of the damage. She was thankful for that small mercy, and prayed that maybe they had been by already.

When they pulled up to the apartment building, chills and goose bumps rose on her skin under her sweater and coat combination.

"This is going to be the last time you need to come here, songbird," her dad offered as he shut off the rental truck.

"Doesn't make it hurt any less," she whispered. Leroy reached over and placed his hand on her arm.

"I know. But I'm right here, okay? We're going to take this however you want to..." he tried. "This can be a good day. Let's make it one, alright?"

She nodded, before she reached for the handle and slowly got out of the truck. She took her time getting down from the truck, careful not to injure her knee. When her feet were both firmly on the ground, a voice from behind her caught her attention.

"Hey, Rachel..." she turned around slowly and pushed her hands into her pockets as Mr. Hudson started to stride towards her. She felt the same nervousness she had moments ago settle in her stomach as he came closer. The flash of what the apartment had looked like when she came a month ago before she went to Carmel caused her hands to twitch in her pockets. Finn stopped his stride a few steps in front of her and stuck his own hands into the pockets of his jacket. He wasn't wearing the wool coat she usually saw him wearing.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning," she nodded. "I really appreciate this. I'm still pretty useless with my knee and," she shrugged as she pulled her hand out of her pocket and gestured to her wrist.

"Not a problem," he smiled. "Just glad I could help out," they both nodded, sticking hands in their pockets as they took in the neighbourhood around them. Finn broke the silence. "Should we go inside? It's pretty cold out here..."

Rachel nodded slowly. She turned briefly to find her dad standing beside the driver side door of the truck. "You know my dad, right? Leroy Berry..."

Finn nodded. "He's picked up the girls a few times. But I think we met at the...at the hospital..." he sighed quietly. Her dad nodded in confirmation and Rachel shifted her weight to her stable leg.

"Let's get this finished," Leroy summoned. Rachel and Finn both nodded in agreement and followed him into the apartment building, that had once been her home. And her house of horrors.

* * *

Being back in the apartment again, in a better, slightly stronger state of mind caused a dizzying set of emotions to burst through her. The landlord had kept his promise and then some. He had arranged for the broken and useless furniture to be taken out, and had gotten the blood stain scrubbed. But it didn't mean she didn't remember the feeling of upset that flooded through her veins.

"We can start, um...Finn, do you want to start in the kitchen? I'm taking the chairs and the table...and there isn't much in the cabinets in the way of dishes but we can just...we can just throw everything in boxes," she sighed. "If it's broken, I don't want it," she sighed with a hint of defeat to her voice. When she was last here she didn't look at things closely. She had zeroed in on the essentials, and the things she had known the girls and her both needed and wanted. She had gotten through. And now it was time to reset.

She took a deep breath and pushed her cheeks out in a deep breath.

"I got it, kitchen..." he pushed a smile to his cheeks and headed off in the direction of the small room. Rachel didn't spend too much time watching him go.

Instead, she turned her attention to her father. "Want to pack up the girls room? It's just really...just toys and their bedding...then we have to take apart their beds and..." she stumbled through her words as she began to feel overwhelmed. It had been a whirlwind and she felt everything coming to a head in that moment.

"We'll get it done, Rachel," her dad promised. "We'll get it done."

She could only nod, before she ventured off to her own room to gather whatever she had left behind on their last trip.

* * *

Finally, the apartment was empty, save for the things she decided to discard. They left everything in piles, the trash tied up in black plastic bags ready to be tossed. She took a minute to herself to stand in the virtually empty room, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked around. She bit her lip as she gazed at the space, and closed her eyes tightly as memories once again flooded through her. The weight of the implications of everything that had happened once they had moved to this small apartment coloured everything. But at the same time, she felt a distinct sense of peace flush over her too.  
She was done. She was free. She was moving on.

Rachel took a deep breath as she did a once over of the room one more time to make sure nothing was left. As she walked to the front door, she bit her lip as she moved through the doorway and closed the door firmly behind her, leaving the key in the lock.

When Rachel got down to the trucks, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding so tightly. She had taken her time to descend the stairs, feeling in every fiber of her being like she was walking towards the light, finding the end of a long tunnel. When she reached the outdoors she gave herself a minute alone, with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed to the sunlight that came over her. She felt, in that second, that it was over - even if it was truly far from over - but this part was done. When she opened her eyes she had to blink quickly to stop the tears that she felt were bubbling behind her lids and at the corners of her eyes. She focused in on the rental truck in front of her, as her vision danced around her surroundings. Her eyes landed on Finn standing next to his truck, his back to her as he did something on what looked like his cell phone. His truck wasn't quite as full as the rental van, but they had been able to fit the girls beds and dresser in the back, along with a few boxes that were filled with whatever he had packed in the kitchen. She looked away when he turned around and started to walk slowly towards her. On instinct she shoved her hands in her pockets, as if she hadn't spent a majority of the morning in his presence.

"All set?" Finn asked with a small smile on his face.

Rachel nodded her response. "You'll have to follow us, um...it's right around the corner from the school, in case we get separated..."

Finn nodded. "Sounds like a plan. You lead the way," he smiled softly. She nodded with the smallest hint of a smile, before turning around and walking to the truck to ride with her dad.

* * *

Rachel fell in love with the new apartment the moment she had seen the pictures in Emma's office. But the pictures didn't even do the small but cheery space any justice. Compared to the old place, the tiny, two bedroom apartment was bright and airy. And what she had fallen for the most was the beautiful window that lined one wall of the rectangle shaped living room. She had plans for curtains and blinds once she was well enough to get back on her feet. There was even a little ledge on the outside that she hoped she could put a little planter on. The apartment was painted cheery colours, colours and hues in another life she would have chosen for herself. The landlord had apologized at the first viewing - as the previous tenants hadn't been out long enough for them to consider repainting. But the moment she had stepped in, she had felt it in her bones that this was right for her. And the paint was part of that. The kitchen, small in shape was painted a minty green. It reminded her eerily of the colour of her bedroom back in her apartment in Los Angeles, a place she hadn't thought of in a long time. The living room, was a dusty pink that Ayla had loved the moment she had seen it. She was in love with the space.

When they pulled up to the new apartment building, Rachel smiled when she saw her mom sitting on the small set of steps outside of the building. Ione curled beside her while Ayla danced around in the very tiny bit of snow that was on the ground. She had quick visions of the future, of the summer time and the girls being able to play out here...or at the playground that the landlord promised was around the back. But she was brought back to the now, when she heard the door to the truck behind them slam closed. She blinked and shook her head, before getting out of the rental truck herself.

The girls ascended on her the moment her feet were firmly on the sidewalk.

"Mommy, we got to have chocolate milk with breakfast!" Ayla squealed. "And we had hash browns. They were so yummy!" she giggled. But her voice got quieter when she noticed Finn was walking towards them. "Mommy, what's Mr. Hudson doing here?" she asked softly.

Rachel smiled softly. "He's going to help us bring all of our things up to the new apartment, isn't that nice?"

Ayla sighed and looked over at him again. "Yeah. Papa can't carry it all by himself!" she giggled.

Rachel sighed with relief and gently pushed her hair back from her face. "What do you say we get started, huh? The faster we get everything upstairs the faster we can have...pizza!" she exclaimed.

When Rachel looked up she noticed that her Mom had distracted herself by playing with Ione's hair. Ione had a laser focus on the truck behind them. Rachel nibbled her lip before she offered Ione a small smile. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the key, the weight of the silver item just as impressive as it was in the wee hours of the morning. She crossed the few steps that it took her to get to Ione. "Should we go inside?"

Ione nodded and offered Rachel a small smile, while not taking her eyes off her teacher in the distance.

The entire feel of the apartment building was something that Rachel really appreciated. It was clean, airy and well kept. The group ascended the stairs to the second level and once they got to the door of their second level apartment, Rachel felt herself release a breath. 2A. Her new home.

"Come on Mommy, open it!" Ayla squealed. "I want to see my room again!"

Rachel nodded slowly and pushed the silver key into the lock and turned it. When the door swung open, Ayla carefully rushed around Rachel and made her way inside. Rachel's heart beat quite quickly in her chest as she watched Ayla stand in the middle of the room, spinning around with her arms out. The giggle that she slipped from her lips was enough to make Rachel's cheeks warm. She had had much the same reaction last night to the bright open space. Ione followed behind Rachel inside and put down the bag of her things from the hotel she had been holding. She walked slowly up to Rachel's side and wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned her head into her side. Rachel instinctively wrapped an arm around her.

Rachel heard shuffling from behind her, and turned around to find her parents and Mr. Hudson standing behind her. She smiled softly. She knew her Mom had seen it yesterday, her Dads eyes moved quickly around the space and she waited with baited breath to hear what he thought.  
"It's nice," he confirmed.  
"Papa, you haven't even seen the half of it!" Ayla exclaimed. "Our room is so pretty! Right Ione?" she laughed as she clapped her hands.  
Ione nodded. "It's purple," she whispered. Rachel noticed Ione's eyes search across the room and connected with Mr. Hudson's for a brief second before she looked up at Rachel. She pulled her a little closer. Ione had been so excited last night to see their bedroom was painted her favourite colour already. Ayla had been too enamored with the living room colour to care.

She was left alone soon after, Shelby had coerced the girls into helping with the lighter items that were from their bedroom, like toys, clothes and pillows. Rachel stood in the middle of her own bedroom as she watched from the window as they started to empty the rental truck first. Her heart pounded as she watched boxes come out of the truck one by one, and the group start back towards the apartment. She turned away from the window sill when they were out of her view, but she still took a moment in the room by herself. She felt like she had to pinch herself. This was happening.

The clamor of the girls filled the apartment, and she left the safety of her bedroom to find their windblown and smiley faces looking at her, arms laden with a box each for their bedroom.

"We brought the toys Mommy," Ayla giggled.

"Well, that is the most important thing on the truck, now isn't it?" she smiled as she watched Ayla march towards the girls bedroom. She followed her in to make sure she placed the box neatly so they could fit all the furniture.

"I've missed my toys, Mommy," she sighed as she used her hand to push her fly away hair from her face.

Rachel sighed quietly. "I know. But you're reunited now."

"And it feels so good!" Ayla giggled as Ione trudged in and put her box on top of Ayla's.

"Mr. Hudson is bringing up my bed first," Ione announced. "Where should we put it Mommy?" Her question was followed by the sounds of footsteps coming in to the apartment. Rachel turned to look at Ione who was staring back at her.

"Well, where do you want to put it?" she asked. She was trying to give Ione as much control over the situation, especially her bedroom, as she could. She only hoped it relieved some of her fear.

"I think right here," Ione smiled, gesturing to the wall that faced the outside. The view from the girls window was the park the landlord had promised was behind the building. It was surrounded by trees, and to Rachel seemed inviting and peaceful. She could see why Ione would choose this side. The room was an odd shape, but it allowed for different furniture arrangements.

"That sounds good to me, if that's what you want."

Ione nodded her head.

Footsteps came closer to them, and Rachel turned in time to see Finn standing in the doorway with Ione's headboard in his hands.

"I have one headboard," Finn smiled.

"You can just put it down," Rachel offered. She knew it was kind of heavy. "We'll put it in place."

Finn slightly shook his head. "Where is it going?" he asked.

Ione spoke up. "Right here Mr. Hudson!" she giggled, a sound that Rachel wasn't too familiar with coming from Ione as of late. "My bed is going against here," she gestured.

"Good spot!" he encouraged. "I'll be back with the rest of it, and we can put it together later, sound good?"

Ione nodded enthusiastically. "I'll come help get more stuff. Come on Ayla."

Rachel watched as the girls followed Finn out of the bedroom and eventually down the stairs. She blinked a few times to clear the utter amazement from her features before she followed the sounds of her parents voices to the kitchen.

* * *

As the apartment started to fill up with her and the girls personal belongings, it became more and more real to Rachel that this was happening. No more hospitals, no more hotel suites. This was going to be her home. Surrounded by her and the girls things, the reality truly sunk in. She stood in her bedroom unpacking a box of her trinkets and mementos as the sounds of giggling flooded in from across the hall. Her parents had left after the rental truck was empty, as it had to be back by the end of the day. There had been a few tears, but as they weren't leaving until tomorrow night - Rachel knew the explosion of emotion on either end was coming. She put down the photo album she had just pulled out of a box and set it aside. She wandered through the maze of boxes on her floor and headed out to see what was so funny.

She stood outside the girls room, and clutched the door frame. Rachel tried to hold in her laugh as she watched Ayla emphatically make her American Doll dance in front of Finn and Ione. She noted the wrench clutched in Finn's hand, and the half constructed bed beside them - they were obviously trying to put together beds and she felt touched for a moment as laughter sprung from Finn's lips. In her haze, she had missed Ayla exclaiming the punch line to her song or joke, and now all that was left was the flailing arms and the American doll falling to the floor with a clunk. Ayla gave a horrified look as both Ione and Finn laughed, and Rachel could barely keep back her own laugh. The trio turned around and looked at her.

"Mommy, you missed the story!" Ayla giggled. Finn put down the wrench and adjusted himself to sit more cross legged on the ground.

"It must have been a good one, I could hear you guys laughing from across the hall..." she smiled.

Ione nodded, her own small smile on her lips. "It was pretty funny."

"Mr. Hudson hit his hand on the edge of Ione's bed and he made a funny face," Ayla stated. She started to laugh once again.

"So that's what made Ayla reenact with her doll," Ione laughed. "But Mr. Hudson didn't fall down like the doll did," she shook her head. "That was just Ayla being Ayla..."

Rachel laughed and walked into the room further. She moved to stand over Ione and ran her fingers through the tail ends of her ponytail. Ione looked up at her with a small smile.

"What do you say we take a break from bed building, and our re-enactments of dramatic falls, to order some pizza, hmm?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Can we get cheesy bread too Mommy?" Ayla asked with a grin. She turned to look at Finn. "Do you like cheesy bread Mr. Hudson?"

Rachel watched as Finn bopped Ayla on the nose with a smile before he stood up. "I happen to love cheesy bread. I would like to finish putting these beds together though..."

Rachel smiled a little. "You don't have to. You didn't have to start putting them together..." she shuffled her foot along the carpet a little bit.

Finn shrugged, and Rachel could feel the girls with their eyes on them.

"It's no problem. I've had some pretty good helpers," he winked. Rachel couldn't help but look back at the girls and offered them a wink of her own.

"They're pretty good at helping. I'll let you guys finish, in here I guess, as I go order the pizza..."

"And cheesy bread!" Ayla reminded.

Rachel laughed. "And cheesy bread. Is there something you like on your pizza, Finn? These girls are big fans of pepperoni and green olives."

"That sounds great, I love some green olives and pepperoni," he smiled. "Thanks Rachel."

She nodded. "I should be the one thanking you, Finn," she smiled and squared her shoulders as much as she could before she walked out of the girls room.

The laughter that started up once she hit the kitchen was contagious. Rachel smiled as she moved through the apartment to fish out her new cell phone from her purse. Her parents had insisted on getting her one last night when they made a late night trip to Target. She had relented only when she saw the tears that built in her mother's eyes. Her old phone had been lost, she honestly assumed Brody had taken it. Even thinking his name made her throat burn with rising bile. But she pushed the feeling away and allowed her body to drop on the small loveseat she had been able to salvage from the old apartment. She flipped through her internet until came across a pizza place she was familiar with in the area. Rachel placed the order quickly, adding in a package of cinnamon sticks for the girls with extra icing as a surprise. When it was finished, she put the phone back and just took in the apartment for a moment.

Her mom and dad had worked furiously to hang up the photos and get the living room in working order. Things were still in boxes, things that they had deemed unnecessary but she had insisted on getting the photos hung up. Photos made the apartment feel more like a home.

"Mommy!" she heard as she was starting to focus on the images that seemed to represent a life time ago. "Mommy, come see! Mr. Hudson got our beds all done!"

She turned on her heels and walked the few steps to the bedrooms, to see what all the fuss was about.

* * *

The apartment was warm. As the four of them sat around the small dining room table munching on the pizza and cheesy bread, Rachel allowed the warmth of the environment to wrap around her. Ayla chatted non-stop since they sat down at the small well worn table. Normally she would deeply regret the glass of pink lemonade she had poured her with her slice of pizza, but seeing the way Finn sent the same silliness back her way allowed the anxiety she usually had when things got rowdy to melt away.

She watched with a curious eye the way the girls responded to Finn. It was hard to believe, from her experience, that Ione could laugh the way she was in that moment. As Finn told a joke that to anyone over the age of like 12 would find corny, Ione smiled wide and laughed with one that nearly met her eyes. But when the joke ended and the laughter subsided she seemed to revert back to the reserved little girl she was on most days. But she still kept a firm eye on him, like she was cautious, like she was concerned that if she closed her eyes he would be gone. She could see the thoughts roam her mind, her eyes wondering and critical. Rachel felt the pain slice under her skin as she tried to think about how she was ever going to help her change that.

"Mommy, I'm all done," Ayla announced as she finished off her cheesy bread piece. "Can I be excused please?"

Rachel smiled and nodded as she chewed her own piece. "Of course, just wash your hands first! I don't want you to get your room all messy."

"I know! Papa got me the soap I like!" she laughed as she popped off her chair and headed to the bathroom. Rachel couldn't contain her smile as she watched Ayla take off for the bathroom.

"It smells like bubblegum," Ione commented as she took a bite of her cheesy bread. "She made Papa buy it the other day at Target!" she swallowed her bite. "She said she couldn't wash her hands with anything else." She pulled a serious face.

Finn laughed. He reached for his glass of soda and took a slow sip, before fixing his gaze across the table for just the briefest of moments.

"I'm done too," Ione announced. "Can I go too? I want to find my book that I was reading..."

"Of course sweet girl, maybe you can make sure your sister isn't making a big mess in there," Rachel smiled as she nodded. Ione slid off the chair and took her plate into the kitchen, leaving Finn and Rachel alone.

Rachel watched as Ione retreated towards the bedrooms, and soon giggles filled the air. A smile slid over her features, as an air of contentment settle on her shoulders.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked quietly. She shook her head a little bit to clear herself of the haze. "Do you need another drink? I think my parents picked up some beer and it's in the fridge..." she stumbled through her words. "I did get the cinnamon sticks but I can save them for later, since the girls seem to be eager to..."

"I'm fine, Rachel," he smiled. "This has been great, really." She offered him a small smile before pushing back in her own chair. She stood up slowly, her body was aching from all the physical work she had put in today.

She walked into the small kitchen, intent on getting herself another piece of cheesy bread. Rachel reached into the box and took one of the remaining pieces out and took a healthy bite. She indulged in the taste for a minute as she leaned against the counter. The small clock that she had set on the counter earlier clicked with the passage of each second that floated past. She tried not to flinch when she heard a few jumps and clamours from the girls room, held herself back from running in to make sure everything was okay. Everything was okay, because they were okay.

Rachel was pulled from her thoughts when the sound of a clearing throat came from behind her. She turned around slowly to find him standing there, his plate and glass from the table in his hand. She gave him a soft smile.

"Finished?" she whispered with a cock of her head.

"I am," he smiled. "I haven't had pizza that good in awhile. Usually the place around the corner from my apartment burns the heck out of the crust. Pretty disappointing when you want some pizza. Tastes like cardboard." He screwed up his face at the thought of cardboard pizza.

She chuckled a little bit at the face he made just then. A silence came over them, one that was comfortable with an air of the untouchable. Rachel leaned her elbows against the counter as she tried not to cast her eyes on him too often.

She had a hard time believing, still, that there were good people in this world. Her experiences with strangers and loved ones had not always been shrouded in the kind of kindness Finn had shown both her and her girls. Sure, there was a time when she was younger that she would have believed in the goodness of people, had know her parents would have her back and aside from the latter she was sure that her belief in kindness and goodness would come again with work and time.

"I guess I should go," he started after a few minutes, once he had put down the dishes he had been carrying. "The truck has an offer that expires at midnight," he winked. He stuck his hands in his pockets and hooked his thumbs around his belt loops.

"Right, you borrowed it..." her voice dropped an octave. She nodded and moved her arms to wrap around her midsection. "Thank you."

"You've already said that a few times today, you know that right?" he asked as he gently nudged her in a friendly way. He chuckled as they moved to the front door of the apartment.

She shrugged, coming a stop a few steps behind him. Rachel stood there for a moment as Finn went through the motions of putting on the shoes he had worn. When he stood upright, he gave her a small smile. The girls laughter wafted in from the bedroom, as a silence that was not unfamiliar permeated the air.

"I think you're really brave, you know," he whispered once he was upright. His voice was quiet, so quiet that she almost missed the admission.

She shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself tighter, tugging on the edges of the sweater she was wearing. She slowly dragged her eyes to look at him. Finn was staring back at her, a soft look on his features. She bit her lip slowly as she looked back down at her feet. She felt self conscious in that moment, of the knee brace - the cast on her arm. And if anything else, she felt the furthest thing from brave. She couldn't control the shrug that rose over her shoulders. But the words themselves touched her.

"Thank you," she whispered. She fidgeted with her sweater as a slow chuckle slipped from her lips. She really had been saying that a lot today, to him especially. "That," she paused to clear her throat. "That means more than you know," she whispered.

"It's the truth," he sighed. He grabbed his coat which he had hung up in the closet after they had finished hauling in everything. "I guess I'll see you guys on Monday?" he questioned.

"They'll be there," she smiled. "I should get them to say goodbye. Ione! Ayla!"

"Do you want me to bring them home?" he blurted as the girls scrambled to the front door.

"What? I can't ask you to do that..." she stammered as Ione and Ayla joined her at the front. Rachel felt Ione wrap her arms around her waist, and she wrapped her around her in return.

"I offered. It's going to be cold the next few days. I don't mind...it's on my way home," he shrugged, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Rachel felt Ione clutch around her waist, but she didn't respond. "Can I let you know on Monday?" she whispered.

All Finn could do was nod. "No problem."

Rachel offered him a small smile before she let out a breath. "Now, girls what do we say to Finn for helping us move everything?"

"Thank you Finn," they both said in unison. Rachel brushed her fingers through the ends of Ione's ponytail.

"I'll see you guys on Monday," he smiled with a nod to his head.

* * *

Finn pulled the truck up into his parents driveway and cut the engine. He sighed as he closed his eyes for a second. The clock on the truck's dashboard read 7:00pm, and he had promised his parents he would have it back an hour ago. He was concerned that they hadn't started to text him obsessively. He climbed out of the truck, making sure to collect his cell phone charger and the coffee cup he had purchased this morning so he could throw it away. The front porch light went on at the top of the long driveway as he slammed the door and he tiredly groaned. He knew someone was watching him from the entry way, he just didn't know who it was.

He climbed up the long pathway to the door as an exhaustion from the days events sank into his bones.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he heard. When he made it up to the front porch of his parents house, he found his Mom standing in the doorway.

"Hi Mom," he sighed. "Sorry I'm late."

Carole smiled. When he reached her, Finn felt her place a hand on his arm. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't starting to get worried..." she commented. Finn walked into the house and started to shrug off his coat.

"They wanted me to stay for dinner," he smiled. "She ordered pizza and cheesy bread..."

"And we all know how much you can't pass that up," Carole laughed. "Come on back, say hi to Burt. Do you want something to drink?"

Finn shrugged as he followed his mother through the house. He nodded to his stepfather who was sitting off in the den watching sports highlights.

"Did you replace the gas?" he called as he looked up from the screen. "Carole, can I get another one of those cookies please?"

"Yeah Burt, I did," he sighed.

"In a second, you've already had four," Carole sighed as she rolled her eyes. "They are heart healthy but that doesn't mean we have to eat them all tonight," she laughed. "One second sweetheart. There's beer and soda in the fridge, grab whatever you want..."

Finn sighed. He walked further into his parents spacious kitchen. He swung open the fridge door and screwed up his nose when he saw that there was only light or alcohol free beer in the door.

"Mom," he sighed. He reached in and grabbed a Miller Light before he let the door close behind him. He popped the cap and tossed it in the sink behind him.

"You're not in high school anymore," she sighed. She walked over to the sink and fished out the cap. "It was annoying then, and it's even more annoying now that you're a grown man," she chuckled as she tossed the beer cap away.


	14. Chapter 13

Well hello! Miss me? It's been awhile, I know. It's been crazy around here - and that truly is an understatement. Working retail, the holidays are an insane bunch of days strung together where you work overtime until your eyes feel like they're going to fall out of their sockets and you truly wonder if you should buy stock in coffee. Dramatics aside, I'm back. I apologize for the long wait, I never meant for it to take this long. Today also marks exactly one year since I started this journey. Well, posting it that is. I find it amazing that you all have stuck around so long and I really hope you continue to do so in the future. While this story is quite obviously beginning to wrap up, I have a plethora of new ideas coming down the pipe. I can't promise quick updating as my life has become jam packed, but I can promise that I will always come back - as long as you guys want me that is ;). Let me know what you think after this chapter! And welcome to all the new readers/followers/reviewers that have just joined us! Hope you'll stick around for awhile.

As always, thanks to Lauren and my mom for helping me out with this one. It was a toughie :) And as always, I don't own Finn, Rachel or Brody. Just the original characters and the plot.

* * *

 **Chapter 13  
** _6 Months Later..._

Rachel had to laugh as she watched Ayla prance down the aisle of the Target they were shopping in.

"I want it all Mommy," Ayla smiled dramatically. "Can I have it all?"

Rachel laughed. She pushed the cart and followed her down the aisle where she had stopped in front of a display of pencil cases.

"Silly girl," she smiled. "You can pick one pencil case. And maybe if you're lucky, Ione will let you help pick out hers..." Rachel trailed off to turn and look behind her.

Ione had trailed a few steps behind them, taking her time to pick out which markers she wanted to take to school this year. "Slow poke, pick one pack and let's go!" she gently prodded. Ione stunned herself into moving and Rachel offered her a soft smile as she skipped over to the cart and placed the markers she had finally chosen in the bin.

"Sorry Mommy," she smiled softly. She pushed her hair back so it tucked behind her ear. "I just wanted to pick the right ones."

"That's not a problem, I just didn't want you to get too far away," Rachel calmed.

"I know," Ione sighed. She crossed her arms over her chest and used her fingers to scratch at a bug bite she had gotten a few days ago at the park.

"Don't scratch," she gently reminded. Rachel rooted through her purse that was in the cart and passed her the bottle of after-bite she had taken to carrying with her over the summer. Ione took it dutifully and rubbed a little bit where she had been scratching.

"Come on Ione! Help me pick a pencil case, I can't choose!" Ayla sighed dramatically.

Rachel smiled as she watched Ione smile a little, before traipsing over to where Ayla was painstakingly trying to make a decision between a My Little Pony or Shopkins pencil case. She leaned on the bar of the cart that was quickly filling up. The new school year was just around the corner, and as she watched the girls she couldn't help but identify the striking differences between where she was a year ago, and where they were now. She smiled as she watched Ione listen patiently as Ayla listed all the reasons the Shopkins pencil case was so awesome, but then continued to describe why the My Little Pony one was better because it had sparkles. Rachel could see the patience beginning to slip from Ione's grasp as her eyes fluttered over the shelves in search of her own pencil case. Some things never did change though, as Ayla ultimately chose one that Ione approved of and Ione opted for the more functional, less cartoon-y purple one. Rachel smiled triumphantly when she saw Ione smile while Ayla still chattered behind her.

"Now Mommy, I still need to get a backpack. Those are important because I'm going to be in grade 2 and we get homework now," she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I'm sure you're not going to get that much homework Ayla," she tried to placate. "But we'll get you a new backpack. But we have to hurry it up a little, we're taking a little too long here..." she tried. "We still have to get shoes and some clothes, Grandma sent some money for you guys to get special first day outfits, but we're not going to have time for all of that if we keep lollygagging," she laughed as she looked directly at Ayla. "Plus we have to go see Miss Taren a little later," Rachel gently reminded.

Taren was the girls therapist. In the past six months, the girls had each made strides with the young woman who was petite like Rachel but with jet black hair. Rachel's heart sputtered when she saw Ione look down at the floor for a moment. Out of the two of them, the counseling Taren had been providing had been the hardest on Ione.

She had seen the most. She had understood the most. She had been affected by the most. She had been tarnished by the most.

Rachel was brought out of her day dream to find the girls had moved on to the next aisle of the Back To School section. She sighed when she gripped the handle of the cart for a moment, a little bit of fear creeping into her blood. She knew they were just in the next aisle, she could even hear them giggling. But they were out of her sight, they weren't right beside her and that caused her heart to flutter a little bit. So much time had passed, there had been so much distance between her and...him...and the situation but it still made her heart race to think of what could be lurking around unknown corners. It still scared her. Being away from them scared her, it brought so much back that she wasn't completely comfortable with.

* * *

 _Michelle crossed and uncrossed her legs from where she sat across from her._

 _"So it's been a bit of a rough week," Michelle started quietly._

 _Rachel looked down at her fingers and twisted them around in her lap. Being a rough week was an understatement._

 _"You want to tell me a little bit more about why that is?" she inquired._

 _"The girls are gone," she whispered._

 _"But they're not gone, gone..." Michelle tried to unravel._

 _"No," Rachel shook her head. "My parents - they paid for the girls to go to summer camp. So they're not stuck at home with me all summer. I'm still working on myself and..." Rachel looked away from Michelle for a moment and directed her attention to the window beside her. "...they come home every night. But it's still hard..."_

 _"It's not supposed to be easy," Michelle offered._

 _"I'm scared one day I'm going to walk to get them off the bus and they're not...they're not going to be there..." she stumbled. Rachel twisted her hands in her lap._

 _"We know that that's not the truth," Michelle started. "That is your brain and the post-traumatic stress you're under that is effecting you negatively. Your girls are healthy and having a great time at camp, I'm sure," Michelle offered._

 _"I like to think they are," she whispered. "I know Ayla is. She comes home talking about what she did that day, her words running a mile a minute..." she paused._

 _"Ione...she's not as excited. But she goes. She gets up and goes because she knows she needs to. But I know she's not happy..."_

 _"Have you asked her?"_

 _Rachel looked down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap._

 _"I suggest you ask her. You might be surprised at what you find. She's been through a lot too Rachel, both of them have, but they're more resilient than you think..."_

 _Michelle offered. "They're yours. No one is going to take them from you. That's a fact."  
_

* * *

Rachel found them in the next aisle, surrounded by binders and reams of paper. Her heart started to beat wildly when she saw them talking to someone, peering over their cart with wide eyes and Ayla's infectious grin. She quickened her steps but halted when Ayla started to cheer when she saw her. Rachel slowly let a laugh leave her lips as she recognized who was standing beside them.

"Mommy!" Ayla squealed. "Look! It's Mr. Hudson!"

"I see that sweetheart," she continued to laugh. She walked up to where they were standing and parked their cart beside Finn's. "Well hello Mr. Hudson," she smiled softly.

"You can still call me Finn you know," he winked. "We're not in school anymore...I mean yet," he stumbled over his words and brushed his hand through his hair.

She watched him huff for a moment.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Finn," she smiled. Ayla made her way over to their cart and dumped in some brightly coloured folders. She looked to Ione for a brief moment, who had taken it upon herself to keep track of the list they had made and waited for her nod. When she did she turned back to Finn.

"Just getting some school supplies," he shrugged. "Looks like that's what you guys are doing too..." he scratched the back of his neck.

Ayla bounced on her toes a little. "I got a Shopkins pencil case Mr. Hudson," she grinned as she pushed her hair back.

Rachel watched as Finn chuckled a bit. She appreciated for a moment that he was a teacher, and understood her excitement over such a trivial thing. But the announcement of the type of pencil case, and the subsequent tolerance provided by Mr. Hudson was what squeezed her heart the most. Ayla was comfortable with him. She didn't know how, or why, because they hadn't seen or heard from Mr. Hudson in quite a while. But when she watched him kneel to her height as Ayla rifled through the cart to show him all the cute things she had picked out she felt a deep appreciation for the teacher in that moment.

In a way, he had saved them.

 _"You don't have to live like this Rachel," he breathed simply. The words hit her with a sharp twist, right in her chest. She let out a gasp as the words sunk in and gently reverberated within her mind. You don't have to live like this, you don't have to live like this, you don't have to live like this. The thoughts sunk all the way, repeating like a chant over the chaos that was already her wandering mind. She hadn't heard the door to the bathroom open, hadn't heard Ione creep out until she was only inches in front of her. She felt her eyes well with tears, just as Ione's did. "Mommy," she whispered with a shuddering breath. Rachel reached forward, her hand trembling as she did so. She took Ione's hand and tried to tug her foreword. Ione seemed to get the message and took a step forward so she was within breathing space. Rachel's lip trembled as she hugged her, loosely wrapping her arms around her daughter. Her eyes connected with Mr. Hudson's in that moment as she held onto Ione. She tried to hold his gaze, tried tell him in that moment without words that she had heard him - loud and clear despite the madness and anger stewing in her very soul._

"...And I hear you have Mrs. Sampson for this year," Mr. Hudson smiled as he tried to engage Ione into the conversation he was having with Ayla. She watched as Ione smiled gingerly at her former teacher and nodded. "Mom got the paper last week," she smiled. "In the mail..."

Rachel watched as Finn nodded.

"Is she nice Mr. Hudson?" she asked quietly as she looked across the cart at him intently. That was Ione's biggest worry about school - if her new teacher would be nice.

"She's very nice. She's very excited to meet you in a few weeks," he smiled. He stood up from the position he was bent in and turned to Rachel. "These two snuck up on me while I was looking at duotangs," he smiled.

"They sure know how to do that," Rachel smiled. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Have you guys had a nice summer?"

"We went to camp Mr. Hudson!" Ayla interjected.

"You went to camp?" he turned his attention to the girls once more. He directed his attention to Ione the most. She nodded slowly.

"We went to camp," she confirmed. "It was fun..." Ione ducked her head, and looked at Rachel out of the corner of her eye. Finn didn't miss the exchange. "We went swimming a lot," she tried to offer.

"That must have been fun,:" Finn commented.

Ione only shrugged in response. She had never been a swimmer, even from a young age.

"It was so much fun Mr. Hudson!" Ayla pushed through. "We got to splash and Mommy always had to make us take a bath when we got home cause I had lake water in my hair," she chuckled. "Right Mommy?"

Rachel smiled as she looked at Ayla. "Of course. But I don't think you needed to tell Mr. Hudson that, Ayla..." she chuckled.

"It's alright," he smiled as he looked at her. "I don't mind."

* * *

Taren welcomed the girls into the private waiting room with a smile. The young woman noticed immediately the different demeanors each of the girls were expressing, something she had come to observe the almost three months she had had the girls on her service. She noted with a fine eye the way Ayla chattered with her Mother with an excited squeal while Ione seemed to traipse in beside her. She identified the look of distain and upset that scrawled against Ione's features, a look that she had come to know in time. She offered her a brighter smile as they got comfortable on the plush chairs, and offered Ayla a colouring book, as per the routine.

"Ione?" she smiled. "Do you want to come with me?"

Rachel followed dutifully, after placing a kiss to Ayla's head, and offering a nod to the receptionist who was sitting behind the desk. Taren had learned early on to give the girls separate hours, with a fifteen minute buffer between them and the unrelated patient

They both had such different needs, such different experiences that Taren felt it was more appropriate to split them. Not to take anything away from Ayla, but she felt from the first meeting that Ione's needs were far greater and deeper than her younger sister. Something she had discovered within a few meetings.  
 _  
_

* * *

 _Ione twisted her fingers in her lap as she sat in front of Taren._

 _"You seem upset today, Ione," she started._

 _Ione shrugged her response. She was upset. She had been pulled out of school because her appointment was just after lunch. She wanted to go back to school. She moved her eyes to look up at Taren._

 _"Did something happen today at school?" she asked carefully._

 _She shrugged again. "No," she whispered._

 _Taren shuffled her papers. "When you were here last week, you told me you were making a family tree in art. How did that go?" she tried a different tactic._

 _Ione jolted. "It was fine. Mr. Hudson liked it," she smiled softly but allowed a sigh to leave her lips afterwards. "It wasn't as big as some other kids."_

 _"Well that's okay," Taren started. "Everyone's family is different."_

 _"Mine was the smallest," she whispered as she fidgeted with her fingers again. "I just put Mommy, Ayla and Grandma and Grandpa..." she trailed._

 _"That sounds like a lot of people. A lot of people that love you very much..."_

 _She shook her head. "Kids made fun of me," she whispered quietly._

 _"Why did they make fun of you?"_

 _"Because I didn't have a dad on my tree," she whispered. Taren waited a moment before she spoke._

 _She clenched her fists in that moment._

 _"I can tell that's making you mad," Taren observed. "Can you tell me why?"_

 _"Because I don't have a dad," she whispered. "And that makes me mad. But it also makes me really sad, too."_

 _"Why does it make you mad?"_

 _"Because Brody was supposed to be my dad," she whispered quietly. "And all he did was hurt me..."_

 _"Ione," she cleared her throat and tried to think of what to say to the little girl in front of her. "You know that is not what a Dad is supposed to be like..."_

 _"Then what is a Dad supposed to be like Miss Taren?" she asked quietly._

* * *

"How was your day today, Ione?" Taren asked as they both got comfortable in their seats, and Rachel got comfortable behind them.

"We went school shopping," Ione smiled slowly. "I got to pick a new backpack, and Grandma sent us some special money for a new outfit for the first day," she added. "I picked new jeans and a sweater."

"I bet they're really nice," Taren commented.

"Mommy liked them," she shrugged. She picked at the edges of her shorts.

"So you went school shopping, are you ready to go back to school in a few weeks?"

Ione offered her a shrug. "I guess so. Mr. Hudson says my teacher, Mrs. Sampson is really excited to meet me..."

"Mr. Hudson?" Taren questioned.

"Yeah, Mr. Hudson. He was at Target when we were there," she smiled.

"Was it nice to see him? You haven't talked about him in awhile..."

Ione looked down at her legs again. The fringe that was developing on her shorts caught her attention once more and she pulled at a few of the loose threads. "We haven't seen him most of summer," she murmured.

"Because of camp?" Taren inquired.

Ione nodded. "That's what Mommy says. Because of camp," she paused with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Can I tell you a secret Miss Taren?" she whispered.

"Of course you can, Ione," Taren offered. "Is this a secret Mommy can hear to or would you like her to go check on Ayla for a minute?"

Ione shook her head. "Mommy can hear," she sighed. She took a deep breath. "I miss seeing Mr. Hudson all the time," she whispered so low, Taren barely heard her.

* * *

 _Ione waited in the hallway, on the familiar bench. She kept her eyes out for Ayla and smiled briefly when she saw her little sister bound towards her, her backpack overtaking her._

 _"I got so many books from the library Ione," she gasped as she dropped her backpack beside her on the floor. "Mrs. McCarthy let me take out four instead of two!" she giggled._

 _"You're going to lose them Ayla," she chastised._

 _"No I won't! I've never lost a library book, ever," she stammered._

 _"You girls ready to go?"_

 _Whatever words Ione was going to say to her sister next died on her lips. She sat up straighter as Mr. Hudson approached, his coat on, his bag around his shoulder and his gloves on his hands. Ayla popped off the bench and grabbed her bag. "I'm ready!" she chirped._

 _Ione smiled softly and followed suit._

 _"Mr. Hudson, are we going to walk today again?" Ayla asked._

 _"I was thinking we could take the truck, it's a little slippery - is that okay with you two?"_

 _Ayla nodded enthusiastically. "I like your truck," she giggled._

 _Mr. Hudson nodded. He held out his hand to Ione, for her to come along. "Let's go. Your Mom is going to be waiting for you..."_

 _Ione nodded and followed both Ayla and Mr. Hudson dutifully out to the truck._

 _When they arrived at the apartment building, Mr. Hudson put the truck in park on the side of the street. He had made it a habit over the past week to walk them into the apartment building and up to their apartment. Ione didn't understand why, but on the inside it made her feel safe._

 _"I can't wait to show Mommy the books I got," Ayla grinned. Ione trailed behind Ayla and Mr. Hudson as they walked up the stairs and headed for the apartment._

 _When their knock wasn't answered, Ione pulled out the key that she kept in her backpack and turned the silver instrument in the lock. Her eyes were alert the moment they entered the small space, and her heart started to race when her mother didn't come limping out to meet him by the front door._

 _"Rachel?" Mr. Hudson called._

 _"I'm in here," Rachel's voice echoed from the small kitchen. Ione dropped her backpack and quickly took the few steps to get there, with Mr. Hudson and Ayla on her heels._

 _"Mommy, what are you doing?" Ione stammered._

 _Rachel was standing on a chair, balancing on her bad leg while her good leg braced herself on the counter. She was trying to reach for something in the cupboard above the fridge._

 _"Let me help you," Mr. Hudson rushed over and gently took her hand to help her down. "What do you need from up there?" he asked._

 _"My dad put my cookbooks up there," she whispered. "I was going to make a casserole, and I thought I remembered the recipe but..." she sighed as she put both her slipper covered feet on the floor. Finn moved the chair and effortlessly reached up and opened the cabinet, grabbing the cookbook in one movement._

 _"Is this the one?" he smiled._

 _"Yeah," she smiled bashfully. "I was so sure I could get it myself," she explained._

 _"Not a problem," Finn smiled. "It pays to be super tall sometimes."_

 _Rachel laughed softly._

 _"Are you making the one with all the cheese Mommy?" Ione asked softly._

 _"That's what I was thinking," she smiled. She lifted her hand to brush Ione's hair from her face. "Why don't you go start your homework while I get it started?" she offered. "Now that Mr. Hudson got us the cookbook down."_

 _Ione sighed. "Alright," she whispered. Finn stood off to the side watching the interaction for a moment. Ayla rushed in the room. "Look at this drawing Mommy!" she smiled. Finn watched as Ione walked away, heading for the front of the apartment where she had left her bag._

 _He walked out after her and found her taking out her books and sitting on a pillow in the living room._

 _"What do you have left for homework?" he asked quietly once she had pulled everything out. He noticed she had pulled out most of her books._

 _"Everything," she whispered. Ione didn't look up, she just kept her focus on the books in front of her._

 _"I thought you were done this?" he reached over and picked up the writing assignment they had been working on for a few days at school. He had instructed the kids to take it home tonight if it wasn't finished._

 _Ione shook her head. "I had to stop because we went on to math," she whispered. "And I didn't like my first one so I started over today." Finn noted the way she wouldn't meet his eyes. They both could hear Ayla and Rachel laughing in the kitchen, though his focus on Ione's homework and the despondent look in her eyes._

 _He grabbed a pillow from the couch and sat down beside her, tucking his legs to the side. "Want some help?" he offered._

 _He didn't miss the way her eyes lit up._

 _"I'd really like that," Ione added quietly. "Can we start with math? I didn't understand when you meant that we had to show our work...I don't get it," she whispered._

 _Finn sat back on his pillow. "Why didn't you say anything in class?"_

 _Ione shrugged._

 _He took a deep breath before he leaned forward to show her again what she had to do._

 _Rachel found them ten minutes later._

 _"Everything okay in here?" she asked as she wrung her hands._

 _"Everything is just fine," Finn turned around to smile at her, albeit softly. "Ione just had some questions about some work."_

 _"Oh..." Rachel stammered. "I can take over, if you want...Ione, can you move to the kitchen so I can keep an eye on the casserole and your sisters work too..." she stumbled through her words._

 _"Rachel, I'm more than happy to stay and help her out..." he offered. Rachel felt a slow blush of relief cover her cheeks. She looked at Ione's work over her shoulder and all she saw was fractions and numbers. Not her strong suit._

 _"I can't ask you to do that," she whispered._

 _"Ione already did," he smiled. Rachel bit her lip._

 _"Then you have to at least stay long enough for dinner," she whispered. "As a thank you," she added._

 _"Of course. I'd love to," he whispered._

* * *

"And why is that Ione?" Taren asked quietly.

Ione only shrugged her shoulders in response. "He was nice to me when no one else was nice," she whispered.

Taren didn't miss the faraway glaze that came across her features.

"What's on your mind Ione?" Taren asked carefully. She abandoned the paper and pen she usually held poised in her hands and set them to the side.

Ione slowly turned her attention towards Taren, her lip firmly in between her teeth.

"Miss Taren," she whispered, her voice dropping a few octaves. "Why don't I have a dad?" she whispered quietly.

Taren took a deep breath but remained quiet, as she looked over Ione's head and towards Rachel. "That is something I don't have the answer to, Ione."

* * *

The girls were quiet, as they walked back to the apartment. Rachel tried not to push them, something that she was working on for herself. She watched as they headed into the building in front of her, but didn't miss the way Ione's shoulders seemed to slump as they approached the door.

"I call the tv!" Ayla giggled as soon as Rachel had the door open. She dragged the bag from Target in with her and dumped it immediately on the table in the living room.

Ione was quiet, and shrugged as she dragged her own bags in with her. Rachel watched her tug them to the bedroom, and for a second she thought about calling her name. But instead she let her go, as she chewed her lip the entire time.

"Oh Ione," she whispered.

Rachel moved slowly and grabbed the bag Ayla had abandoned as she started to laugh with a honk.

"I'm going to put this away for you, all right Ayla?" she smiled as she held up the bag.

"Thanks Mom," she giggled as she hung a little bit off the side of the couch. "I just want to watch this," she smiled as her head lulled off the side of the couch.

"I know, but you also need to help Ione clean your room up in a bit," she tickled Ayla's chin as she walked by. "Think about what you would like to have for dinner, yeah?"

"Can we have chicken fingers?" she asked as the show she had desperately wanted to watch had gone to commercial.

"I'll see if that's what Ione would like, okay?" she confirmed.

"Okay," she sighed and dismissively turned her head. Rachel blew a breath between her lips before she turned on her heel to put the purchases away. She approached the girls room slowly and waited a minute before she gently tapped on the door Ione had closed behind her. Closed meant she wanted time alone. Closed meant she was upset. Ayla knew if the door was closed, that meant she was to leave Ione alone for a bit, no questions asked.  
Rachel quietly knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard from the other side of the door. She turned the door knob slowly and found Ione laying on her bed, headphones in Rachel's old disc man plugged into her ears. Rachel put the Target bag down by the door, before gingerly walking over to Ione's bed and sitting on the edge. She gently tugged on her sock covered toes that were closest to her.

Ione slowly pulled the earphones out of her ears.

"You okay sweetheart?" Rachel asked carefully.

She nodded her head, but kept her mouth closed. She fidgeted with the cord of the earphones while still staring at Rachel. She rubbed her ankle slowly. She had learned in the last few months to let Ione come to her.

"I just want to be by myself," she requested quietly, but continued to stare at Rachel. "Please," she added.

Rachel caught her eye and gently nodded. She patted her foot and gave her a soft smile. "I'm going to make chicken fingers for dinner, does that sound okay?" she asked quietly as she stood up. Ione slowly nodded and moved to put her earphones back in her ears. Rachel pretended not to be alarmed by how loud the music coming from the small speakers was.

* * *

Rachel entered the girls room with a stack of clothes she had folded after they went to bed. She sighed as she tried to step over the minefield of bags and thing scattered around the small open floor space. She stepped around the piles of she didn't even know what. Ione had come out only for dinner, and then retreated to her bedroom but had left the door open, which had invited Ayla in as well. She didn't know what they had gotten up to, as she had been in and out of the apartment doing laundry but the room was a mess. She blew out a breath as she stepped over some legos and went to put the stack of tshirts and shorts on the dresser. She turned on her heel and smiled at both the girls before she left. But it was Ione's open notebook on the tiny table beside her bed that caught her eye.

 _Why don't I have a dad?_

 _Why didn't my dad want me?_

Rachel dropped the book as if it was on fire, and skidded from the room before the whimper could leave her lips.

* * *

"I'm most concerned about Ione," Taren crossed her legs in front of her. "During the past six months, she has been exhibiting symptoms that are highly concerning. I know during intake you expressed that Ione had been witness to a great deal of the domestic violence that occurred in your home, often protecting Ayla in the midst of some of the more extreme outbursts. During many of our sessions, Ione has expressed the expected anger and sadness at the situation - but she also has a lot of questions. Questions that lately, seem to circle around the whereabouts of her father. I believe a lot of her anxiety and confidence issues stem from many lingering questions she has always harboured that seem to be becoming more prominent. She's a very smart little girl, Rachel, for her age. I think it would do her a great deal of service if we could work as a team and get her some of the answers to the questions she has," Taren finished.

Rachel nodded. Her throat had swelled and it was hard to breathe. It wasn't a feeling that was unfamiliar, but it also wasn't welcome. She tried to swallow around the lump that had formed as she contemplated how to answer Taren's thickly veiled question.

"I don't know where he is," she whispered. "We...we split up when she was only a few months old, and he never really...never really wanted to see her, or be a part of her life," she whispered. "He didn't contest when I moved to New York with Brody," she felt bile rise in her throat at the mention of his name. "I tried...in the beginning...when she was still little...to keep in contact...but he never responded. He didn't want her. I think I knew that even when I was, you know, pregnant with her. He probably figured Brody would take care of her," she whispered. "Guess we both had been wrong about that..." she whispered.

* * *

Michelle passed her a tissue as she shuddered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"When did I become such a fuck up?" Rachel whispered as she leaned forward to take the tissue from her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to swear..." she apologized.

Michelle offered her a soft smile of understanding.

"It's okay to feel angry, Rachel," Michelle offered. "While you're healing from the violence of the situation, you are also allowed to mourn," she paused. "And feeling angry is a part of that process."

"I hate him," she whispered lowly. "Is that okay to feel? I hate him, so much..." she whispered.

"Why would you ask if it's okay?" Michelle critiqued.

Rachel took a deep breath as she tore at the tissue Michelle had passed her. Her breath shook as she tried to formulate how she would answer.

"Because I feel," she paused as she tore another piece. She took a deep breath as she turned away to look at the window for a moment before she turned her attention back to Michelle. Her voice shook. "I feel like there's so much, swimming around in my mind and I just...I don't know what's okay to feel anymore," she trembled. "I just don't know..."

Michelle shifted in her seat and crossed her legs. "It's okay not to know. And okay to feel angry. Your situation is complicated..."

"I hate him," she stammered, interrupting where Michelle was going with her spiel. "I hate Brody for what he did to me. I hate him for how he made me feel and I hate how he made Ione feel. I hate how he touched me...I hate how...how I now have scars, on my knee. And my arm aches when it's cold. I have burn marks on my stomach from when he torched me with," she gasped a bit as she tried to catch her breath. "He burned me with the lighter he had used to get the birthday candles going on Ayla's first birthday cake," she heaved. "I hate him. I hate him more than I thought I could ever, ever hate someone," she fully crumbled. "And I hate him most, because of what he did to my girls."

"What did he do Rachel?"

"He ruined me," she whispered as she cried.

* * *

Rachel felt drained. When she stepped out of Michelle's office she felt like some weight had been lifted off her chest. She had vented the anger she had been feeling. It felt like, as she walked into the small waiting room the girls had hunkered down in, like she was seeing the world - or more importantly her girls - in a new light. She wasn't being pushed down, held down under her anger as much anymore. Her eyes were puffy and she stayed quiet for a moment as she looked in on the two of them; Ione with her headphones and Ayla with her book. Both in their own worlds, yet so wrapped in a familiar world that was almost exclusive just to them.  
She cleared her throat before she spoke up loud enough for the girls to hear her. "How about we go out for dinner, huh?" she asked with a smile plastered on her lips.


	15. Chapter 14

Well hello, I bet you weren't expecting to see this in your inbox today now were you? I'm so sorry that this has taken so long to get out. I promise that it was never my intention for this update to take so long. But alas, here we are. I struggled really hard with what I wanted this chapter to encompass, how I wanted it to be laid out and more. But now, as you can see, I love this chapter. I finally really hit my stride after my mom suggested listening to Billy Joel's Scenes from An Italian Restaurant (good tune!). I really feel like this chapter is subtly pushing us towards the end. But that being said I might have to add a chapter! Anywho, I hope everyone who reads it enjoyed it - I have inkling you just might ;-). 

* * *

**Chapter 14**

For a brief moment, Rachel wondered what she was doing. She folded the napkin that had come with her coffee a few times over as she let her feelings run wild through her mind unrestrained. Her fingers twisted and pulled at the napkin because above all else right now she was nervous. She had checked the text message she had received this morning quite a few times to make sure she had gotten it right, and crossed and uncrossed her legs a few times in an attempt to be comfortable. The girls had been invited to play with some other kids in the building, a family she had gotten to know as the summer progressed. Ione had begrudgingly gone along at first, which should have alarmed Rachel if it hadn't been for the revelations that had occurred this week during their meeting with Taren. She chewed her lip again as the small bell above the door of the coffee shop jingled. She bit a little deeper into her lip and tried to focus away as Mr. Hudson, er, Finn, strolled through the door.

He gave her a slow wave as he walked into the belly of the tiny shop. She crossed and uncrossed her legs once more, something she had been doing out of habit since she arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule. She had time to finish one cup of coffee, and she was quickly considering joining him in line to get herself a second. But her nerves made her jittery enough already, that the caffeine in another coffee may send her over the edge. His text message had taken her by surprise this morning, and she had briefly forgotten that she had given him her number during the previous school year. But his invitation had come at almost a perfect time, with the girls out of the apartment for a good period of time. When they weren't around; which hadn't been that often lately since school was getting ready to come back into session, her mind often ran wild with worry and questions. She didn't like the alone time she was given, her mind didn't like the alone time. She was used to such a different pace and a different life. Six months later and she was still trying to figure out what her new normal was.

"Hi Rachel," Finn smiled as he came up to the table. He carried two coffees in his hand and offered her a small smile. "I got you a drink, I didn't know how you took your coffee...or if you even drink coffee..." he smiled as he placed the drink on the table. "Anyway, so here..." he pushed it towards her.

"Thank you," she smiled. "That's sweet. I was actually contemplating a second..."

He nodded slowly. "Were you waiting a long time?"

She shook her head. "No. Contrary to my track record I don't make it a habit of being late most of the time," she joked with a slow to form smile. "It didn't take as long as I thought it would to get here," she smiled. "Thank you," she picked up the coffee and gently tilted it towards him.

"You're welcome," he smiled while picking up his own coffee and taking a sip.

A silence enveloped them as they both tentatively sipped on their drinks. Rachel smiled as she placed cup on the table, he had unknowingly ordered one of her favourite drinks, a vanilla caramel latte.

"Ione mentioned once that you loved vanilla things," he explained. Rachel looked up to meet his eyes. "And it may be the special of the week so," he smiled.

"Well it was a good choice," she smiled. "It's delicious. You should try it..."

Finn chuckled heartily. "No no, it's okay. I like to keep my coffee a little simple. And by simple, I mean black."

Rachel chuckled softly. "I never would have pegged you as that kind of guy..."

"I'm just full of surprises," he winked a little as he took another sip.

She played with the sleeve of her coffee once more, just as he cleared his throat.

"So how was your summer?"

Her eyes widened a little bit by reflex, as she focused on the sleeve of her cup for a moment before she looked at him more intently. She schooled her features and looked at him with a small smile.

"It was good, went by too fast..." she sighed. "It always goes by too fast." Her thoughts drifted and her eyes lost their focus as Finn stared intently at her with his own small smile on his features. "Just felt like we finally got a rhythm and routine and now they're going back to school next week..." she sighed.

"It does go too fast. I can't say I got up to as much as it sounds like you guys did," he grinned and Rachel looked away for a moment when she remembered that Ayla had proudly told him all about their camp days in Target.

"You must have been pretty busy," she smiled. "I hear teachers get up to a lot of fun things when they don't have to worry about shaping young minds 8 hours a day..."

Finn laughed heartily. "Yeah. I spent a lot of time up at my parents house. They watch my nephew while my brother and his husband work full-time throughout the summer so I go up a lot to keep him company. My mom is a social worker, so she's busy a lot and my stepfather is getting older..." he caught himself in the middle of his tangent. "I'm sorry, I ramble when I'm nervous and..." he chuckled to get himself to halt his word vomit.

She smiled good naturedly. "It's okay," she accepted with a small shrug. She reached for her coffee and took another sip.

"I know Ayla ever so proudly told me about how they went to camp this summer, how did that go?" he asked softly. Finn had crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Rachel sighed audibly. "Well, as you could probably tell, Ayla loved it..." she paused to meet his eyes with a chuckle.

"...and I'm going to assume by the look on your face that Ione did not?" he moved his arms so he could clasp his hands on the tabletop. Rachel immediately noted that his expression changed as Ione's name rolled off his tongue.

She sighed, turned away and tried to determine how to articulate exactly what was going on with Ione. When she turned back to face him, she was taken aback by the look in his eyes. His eyes were soft, kind, and alert. Caring, almost. She licked her lips before she opened her mouth, choosing her words carefully. "She wasn't thrilled, really. She tried to hide it but it became pretty clear after the first two days that she was going simply out of obligation," she paused for a breath. Finn looked at her intently and waited for her to continue. "It was a gift from my parents, the six weeks of day camp; to keep them occupied during the summer. But it was a little too much for Ione, with therapy and everything..." she twisted her fingers on the table top, taking the napkin from earlier in between the digits. She blew a breath between her lips. "And I can only hope she won't be too overwhelmed by Girl Scouts..."

Finn reached forward and placed his hand over hers briefly to steady her. Rachel jerked a bit, taken aback by the gesture.

"How is Ione, really?" he asked softly as he pulled his hand back to his side of the table, conscious of her reaction and careful not to offend her.

She took a deep, cleansing breath. "She's..." she paused softly for a minute to collect her racing thoughts. "She's having a difficult summer," she admitted finally with the words slipping off her tongue almost in slow motion. She almost immediately wished she could retract the words after she said them. They hung in the air like a ratty old blanket, and she immediately wanted to grab them from the air and shove them away. Finn sat there in silence, as if he was waiting for her to complete the thought.

"...she's struggling, a lot." she affirmed in a quiet voice.

Finn noted the way her voice lowered to a barely recognizable tone. He crossed his arms over his chest but he didn't say anything in response.

"You don't have to tell me.." he sighed after a long beat had passed between them.

She shook her head. "You asked, and...and maybe you can help me, with Ione...I mean," she stumbled over her words again. "She trusted you. She trusts you, I should say," she smiled shyly. "And she doesn't trust many people, as I'm sure you're aware of," she added with a small chuckle entwined with her smile as she thought about Ione. She wondered briefly what she was doing, what both her and Ayla were doing at their friends apartment. He nodded slowly, and Rachel noticed how when he smiled, dimples in his cheeks appeared.

"She's just...she's always been my careful child," she stalled. "She's always been quiet and with everything that happened earlier in the year, it's kind of projected that three fold. She has questions, that I don't have the answers to...and she has become so anxious. Particularly about the new school year."

Finn was at a loss for words. It was his turn to twist his fingers in front of him. It didn't take him long to formulate his response, though. "How can I help?" he breathed as he sat up straighter, and pulled his elbows into his sides. The dimples were gone, she noted and she felt herself falter.

"That's sweet," she whispered. She took a few steady breaths and looked away from him even, to give herself a moment to collect herself and appreciate what he was offering.

"I mean it," he smiled. She brought her eyes back to him, and saw that he was looking at her intently with compassion in his features.

"Ione is a great kid," he started. "It's easy to see that. She's studious, she's quiet, does her homework most of the time," he winked. "Her only fault that I can see, from my teacher's perspective, is that she doesn't ask for help a lot. She waits. Takes care of everyone else," he paused. "Well, maybe not everyone else. But I saw how she reacted when you and Ayla needed her," he smiled. "So if she's struggling, and you need help...Rachel, I'm right here..."

Rachel blinked a few times, his words hitting her like a truck and it took her a few seconds to truly comprehend what he was saying, what he was offering.  
She didn't know why, but she felt tears start to surface in her eyes. She quickly wiped at her eyes before the tears could fall and swallowed deeply. She felt herself blush, and she looked down at the table for a moment to collect herself.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly.

"When I saw you guys at Target the other day," he paused, "it brought up feelings I've had all summer. I've wanted to text you, check in on you guys...see how you were doing, how you were coping, all summer..."

"What stopped you?" she asked quietly.

"I don't really know," he sighed as he leaned forward onto the tabletop with his forearms. "Or I didn't know then, at least. I think I know now..."

"And what's that?" she whispered, suddenly afraid to hear what he had to say. Her flight or fight instinct kicked in and she felt herself push back on the chair, the sound of the feet scraping against the floor floated between them.

"I want to get to know you better, Rachel," he answered calmly. He pushed himself back in response to her actions and rubbed the palms of his hands on his pants.

"I..." she stammered. Her hands shook slightly, and she grasped her knees for a moment to steady herself and her emotions. "Why?" she whispered as she dug her fingers into her knees.

"Why not?" he smiled softly. He searched her eyes, and pulled his seat back in towards the table, and reached for his coffee, only it was empty.

"Can I get you another coffee?" he asked quietly as he crushed his empty cup in his hand.

"No more coffee for me," she sighed softly. "But I will take a bottle of water, if that's okay."

"Absolutely," he smiled with a nod of his head. He stood up slowly and turned around to head to the counter.

Rachel let out a breath, and took the moment to dig into her small purse to pick out her phone. She was instantly alerted to a few text messages she had received in the small amount of time she had been visiting with Finn, and she had to smile when she opened them. Kimberly, her neighbour who had three children that surrounded her own in ages, had sent her pictures of the girls. She had taken them to the park in their complex first and a newer text message stated that she was taking the girls down the street to the small pizza parlour for a late lunch. She sent a message back quickly thanking Kimberly for taking care of the girls, while keeping an eye out for Finn. She pushed her phone back into her purse when she saw him coming back to the table, their beverages and two Danish pastries on a tray.

"What's this?" she straightened her back as he placed the tray on the table between them.

"Well, I was starting to get hungry. So I took the liberty of grabbing a snack for both of us. I'm kind of always hungry so..." he shrugged a bit as he pulled his coffee off the tray and lifted it to his lips.

"Thank you," she smiled. She reached for the water and uncapped it before taking a sip. As she placed the bottle back on the table, she cleared her throat to get his attention. "I'm sorry, about...unloading...about Ione," she explained softly.

Finn gave her another soft, dimpled smile. "You don't have to apologize for answering a question, I asked."

She ducked her head in response. She reached for one of the pastries on the tray for something to do with the idle silence. Rachel jumped in response when her fingers gently brushed Finn's as he reached for the other pastry.

"Sorry," she whispered as she pulled her hand back towards her. Finn smiled gently and took a bite of his own.

"Are you looking forward to the new school year?" she asked as she swallowed her bite. The treat was delicious, something she hadn't realized she had been craving. She glanced up just in time to catch Finn licking some stray icing from the corner of his lip.

"I am," he smiled as the dimples appeared in his cheeks once more. "The first day of school is kind of my favourite," he paused for a sip of his coffee.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he smiled.

"Why is it your favourite?" she chuckled before she took another bite.

"Oh," he laughed. "Um, I've always like it. It was exciting for me back when I was a kid, and I like being able to bring some of that excitement to kids...I try not to be that boring teacher who just brings a bunch of work sheets and plays that stupid toilet paper game..." he shook his head as he took another sip of his coffee.

"I've played that before," Rachel laughed. "When I was in college, I had one teacher that thought that was such a great ice breaker, he did it every semester. I had the misfortune of being in his class one semester each year," she chuckled with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you sure we didn't go to the same college?" he laughed heartily. "I had a professor, I can't for the life remember his name now...but he just loved that game. After every test, quiz, midterm, out came the roll and he would just toss it to someone. And God forbid if you chose less than four squares..."

"I always bit off more than I could chew," she laughed softly."But at least once I went back after I had Ione, I got the added benefit of shock value. Very few students in my class had children," she smiled softly.

"That must have been difficult," he commented. "Going to school with a young child..."

Rachel shrugged in response. "I wish that was the hardest thing I had ever done," she sighed, and her voice tapered off as she casted her eyes down.

Finn noticed the way her voice dropped, and how she dropped her eyes. He busied himself by taking another bite of his pastry to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts. But she beat him to the punch.

"Enough about that," she breathed with a wisp.

"I'm sorry," he sighed with a brush of his fingertips against his hairline.

"Nothing to be sorry about," she smiled weakly. She cleared her throat to give the moment some closure. "Have you always taught third grade?"

Finn shook his head. "I actually started out in eighth grade," he smiled. "At a prep school closer to where my parents are. But my heart has always been in younger grades. I had some pretty inspirational teachers while I was going to school, so I wanted to be able to be that for someone else," he smiled. Rachel felt his eyes on her intently, and she could feel it in the depths of her heart that he was referring in a roundabout way to Ione.

"I can appreciate that," she smiled softly. She meant it.

* * *

It was later than she expected when Rachel and Finn stood up to gather their trash and start to leave the small cafe. The sun was starting to set outside, and Kimberly had texted to let Rachel her know they were back at the apartment building. Rachel took that as her cue that maybe time had gone on a little too quickly for her liking.

"I should really get home," she sighed as she pulled her long brown hair back, to tie it in a knot on the top of her head. She felt self conscious when she found him looking at her, but smiled softly instead of letting a blush overcome her cheeks. She moved slowly to put her coffee cup and water bottle in the trash, and smiled just a tiny bit when she saw him holding open the door so she could do so unhindered.

"Thank you," she smiled as she reached into her bag for her sunglasses. The apartment wasn't too far from where they were.

"You're welcome," he smiled as they both started to walk towards the door. Before he grabbed it, he turned to look at her with a content smile on his face. "So, dinner tomorrow night?" Finn asked softly as he grabbed the door handle first, to hold it open for her.

"The girls have their first girl scout meeting," she whispered as she walked through the door. Once she had stepped outside in the sunshine, she adjusted her large purse on her shoulder before turning to look at him.

"I know, you told me," he smiled. "But dinner can just be the two of us? That is, if you want to?"

She felt her lips quirk into a slow, comfortable smile. "I want to..."

* * *

Finn was still thinking about her and the timid look in her eyes when he arrived home to his apartment. He let the door swing slowly closed behind him, the quietness of the place seemed to absorb into his skin as he walked through. It was a stark contrast to the chatter that had surrounded him for the last few hours at the coffee shop, both from his conversation with Rachel and the environment. He sighed loudly as he tossed his car keys on the counter before he stretched his arms over his head and ran his fingers through his hair. But he also couldn't help but smile.

Rachel Berry. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but sitting across from her today stirred something in him and he wanted to get to know her more.

"Jerk face, open the door!" he heard from beyond the front door. He rubbed his face as he walked over to the front door of the apartment and swung it open. He blinked a few times as Santana bustled past him, her arms laden with a box of pizza, a carton of wings and by some small feat he could only describe as 'Santana-ness', she had a six pack of beer slung between her two fingers that were free

"Was I expecting you?"

"Was I expecting you?" she mimicked. "Shut up and take something will you?" she snapped."It's either my fingers or the beer and I kind of need both of these so take your pick..."

"I'll take the beer..." he laughed heartily as he took the case. "Steam Whistle, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he laughed as he followed her towards the kitchen.

"Do you not remember the game is on tonight?" she asked as she put the pizza and wings down on the counter.

"It is?" he asked as he walked to the cupboards and grabbed for plates.

He turned around to find Santana staring at him. "What?"

"You forgot about the game?" Her eyes were fiery and bold. "Seriously Finn Hudson? It's the Yankees!" She walked around to the other side of the small counter they were standing around. "Are you sick?" she lifted her hand to his forehead.

"I'm not sick Santana," he rolled his eyes. "I just had a busy day...that's all..." he moved out of her touch and opened the box of pizza. He felt her eyes on him and tried to avoid it as he stacked his plate with a few pieces of pizza and a bunch of wings. He could smell the sauce and he started to salivate at the smell of the hot sauce. He headed to the living room to start the game once he'd grabbed a beer.

"Busy day...you spend the day with the pipsqueak again?" Santana asked as she followed him into the living room and plopped herself down on the couch. He felt her eyes on him. "What is that look in your eyes?"

"What look?" she leaned over and smacked him. "Finn Hudson!"

"I...I met someone for coffee. And it went a lot longer than I had thought it would," a small smile spread over his face.

"You've got that stupid look on your face," Santana groaned as she put her own beer down on the table beside her. "Who is she? It's not that bartender you were flailing over a few months ago, is it?" she took a bite of her slice of pizza. "Cause she looks like she's been around the block few times and I just don't want to have to get you medication..."

"Santana!" he cut her off with a laugh. "It's not that bartender," he laughed. He took a sip of his beer and swallowed it. "I'm pretty sure she was more your speed any way," he laughed, which earned him a smack across the chest.

They both turned their attention to the game and the conversation became more about yelling obscenities at the screen until a break between innings caused Santana to try again.

"She must be special if you're keeping so tight lipped," Santana smiled a little as she took a swig of her beer. He blushed a bit and put his beer down.

"You're blushing, Finnigan," she laughed teasingly.

"She is special. It went really well, and we're going to go out for dinner tomorrow, too," he smiled.

"Whoa," Santana laughed. She turned her body so she was sitting cross-legged on the couch and faced him directly. "Dinner already? Now you have to fess up. The Finnigan I know doesn't usually move this fast," she laughed loudly.

He smiled a little, and laughed with her. "Her name is Rachel," he offered.

"That's all I get?" she laughed and took a swig of her beer.

"I don't want to jinx it. I have a feeling this one is going to be special..."

* * *

Rachel's hands shook as she tried to get dressed. Her clothing choices were limited, and at the moment nothing she owned was what she wanted. She stared down at the few hanging pieces were left and she felt the bitterness of distaste on her tongue. Nothing was right. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands and inhaled deeply through her nose before she looked at her closet again.

"It's just dinner, it's just dinner," she repeated to herself a few times as she tried to pick between two of her prettier blouses. They were older, but she still felt like they were good enough. It was just dinner after all.

She dropped the pretty rose coloured blouse beside her on the bed and bent her body so her head rested in her hands that were braced by her knees. If she had the guts, she would cancel. But the kind look in his eyes that kept flooding back to her, a memory from the coffee they had yesterday, was what stopped her. She pulled at the hair at her hairline in frustration.

It was just dinner.

But the thought and promise of it being just that, dinner, was what terrified her. She hadn't been on a date in so long and she shivered at the thought of the meal that was forthcoming was actually a date. The thought of it caused her chest to tighten. Her last date had been with Brody, years ago, and it was that simultaneous thought that tightened her chest further. She felt like she couldn't breathe for a second, and as her cell phone chimed from behind her she was jolted from the memories that felt like they were from an entire lifetime ago.

 _I'm looking forward to our dinner tonight. - Finn._

She felt herself flush. He had sent her a few messages, and she had responded in kind - she let him know where the girl scouts was meeting, and where they could meet up. Nothing more, nothing less. But this message made her flush with a feeling that made her hands shake.

 _Me too. -Rachel._

* * *

"Look at how good you guys look!" Rachel smiled as she stood in the living room with the girls.

"I feel dumb," Ione tugged on her sash that ran across her chest from her shoulder to her waist in a diagonal line. "It's too loose."

Rachel pressed her lips together as she looked at Ione. Before she had a chance to come up with a response, Ayla spoke up.

"Kimberly said they were supposed to be loose," Ayla smiled. "Remember?" she sighed with dramatics. Kimberly had been the one to talk her into signing them up, and had gone with them to pick up uniforms as she had been going for her own girls.

"Not this loose," she complained as she tugged at it. It was rubbing against her neck, and she didn't like it.

"Come here, I'll tighten it a bit," she sighed. She tried not to frown, but Ione's displeasure was really starting to dig at her. Her lips formed a thin line as she approached Ione, and she tried to gently tug at the sash to determine how much to tighten it.

"You're dressed really nice Mommy," Ayla complimented as she looked over Rachel's outfit.

"Thanks sweetheart," she responded as she gently took the safety pin out of the bottom of Ione's sash and pulled it tighter against her before she repinned it.

"Owe," she whispered.

"I didn't hurt you," she sighed. "There, it's tighter," she answered with a tug.

"Now it's too tight," Ione complained.

"Ione, can you just...can you just stop? It's not too tight," she groaned deeply, and used her hand to show her the amount of space between the sash and her shoulder. "See?"

The features of her face didn't change in that moment.

"Why are you being like this?" she whispered and exhaustion dripped from every word.

"Why are you dressed up Mom?" she asked quietly, averting her eyes in that moment.

Rachel looked down at the blush top and black ankle length pants she was wearing before she looked back at Ione. She swallowed for a moment, and let a breath out slowly. "I'm just meeting someone for dinner while you guys are at Girl Scouts," she answered softly.

"Who Mommy?" Ayla asked as she skipped to close the few steps that had come between her and Rachel.

"Just a friend," she whispered.

Rachel felt the haunting, judging looks from Ione the moment the words left her mouth. She swallowed and turned around to grab her bag from the couch to keep her looks at bay. What she saw reflected in her eyes tugged on the insecurities she already felt about the situation. Her hands shook a bit as she tugged the strap of her oversized bag over her shoulder as she tried to squish down the feelings that she thought she had managed to push away.

"You'll pick us up though, right Mom?" Ayla asked sweetly as she grabbed for Rachel's hand before they headed out of the apartment.

"Of course I will," she smiled. "Now come on, none of us want to be late..."

* * *

As soon as Rachel walked up to the hole in the wall restaurant Finn had described to her, she immediately spotted him. She tried to keep her lips from expanding in to too big of a smile as she laid her eyes on him, or her hands from sweating too much as she took a few steps to come up to him.

"Hi," she whispered, the sudden onset of nerves was surprising, even to her.

Finn turned to smile at her gently, his hands in the pockets of the khaki coloured pants he was wearing.

"Well hello," he smiled softly.

She wasn't sure what to do in that moment, and she could see from the way he was looking at her that he was unsure of how to proceed as well. She was only slightly taken aback when he reached for her hand and gently squeezed her fingers in between his much bigger ones.

"It's so good to see you," he smiled softly.

She felt her cheeks blush as she looked at their joined fingers, and in a blink it seemed that the moment was over.

"We should go in," he encouraged. "I...I called ahead and got us a table. I hope you like it, it's not a big restaurant but the food is good and..."

She touched his elbow gently. "I'm sure it's going to be great," she smiled.

The restaurant was quaint, small and lived up to the hole in the wall description he had texted her earlier. She smiled at the setting, and followed him slowly to the table in the corner of the room. "Which side would you like?" Finn asked as the waitress left them with menus.

His question startled her. "I...I don't have a preference," she whispered.

He nodded slowly and waited for her to slide into the booth on the side closest to her before he took the opposite.

"Do you come here often?" she asked softly as she settled into her spot. The bench was soft and comfortable, and she ran her damp fingers over her pants before putting them on the surface.

"Often enough to know that the lasagna is better here than I have ever had in my entire life, except we'll never tell my mom that," he winked.

Rachel chuckled at his words. "You've mentioned your mom a bit," she commented as she opened the menu in front of her. "Are you close?" she smiled.

Finn smiled. He opened the menu in front of him as well, but placed his forearms on it and leaned towards her. "Probably more so than other Mom's and sons," he smiled. "It was just her and I for a really long time, so we only had each other to lean on. I spend as much time with her as I can," he smiled.

The waitress appeared and they both ordered something to drink.

"I'll have an iced tea," he smiled at the older woman who was serving them. "What would you like Rachel?" he asked quietly.

"I'll just have an iced tea, too," she smiled. "It sounds good."

Finn offered her a smile and Rachel felt herself blush as the waitress left.

A quietness settled over them as soft music filled the arm around them. She studied the red and white checkered tablecloth for a moment, allowing the simple pattern to comfort her racing thoughts and anxieties.

Finn clearing his throat broke her of the trance she had put herself in. When Rachel looked up, she found him gazing at her in such a way that caused the blush she had been trying to calm, resurface.

"Hi," she whispered as she covered her cheeks with her hands. He reached forward and placed his hands on her wrists to gently tug them away. The touch, though gentle, surprised her and she involuntarily flinched away. Finn immediately pulled his hands away, but didn't move them too far out of her reach.

"Sorry," he whispered. He held up his hands before he put them back down. "Shouldn't have done that," he murmured.

"It's okay," she whispered softly. She moved her hands away from her face and gently touched the tops of his hands. "I just need you to be patient with me," she whispered softly.

"Of course," he smiled softly. "You lead, I'll follow," he added.

She moved a bit in her seat, trying to shake off the uncomfortable moment. She pulled her hands to herself and twisted them together.

"So aside from the lasagna, what is your favourite dish here?" she asked softly as she turned her attention to the menu in front of her.

"The Eggplant Parmesan is really good. I think that's what I'm going to get tonight, now that I think about it..." he smiled.

"Then I must try the lasagna that you raved about," Rachel smiled. "I can't remember the last time I made one," she sighed as she closed her menu. "I do have a particular recipe for a sauce that I think it delicious," she smirked. "So we'll have to see how this one lives up to it."

Finn smiled. "I'm intrigued about this sauce," he smiled.

She took a deep breath, and decided then and there to live a little. "Maybe I'll make it for you one day,"

Finn's smile widened a bit and he leaned forward so he could drop his voice. "I would really like that."

"Me too."


	16. Chapter 15

Hola! Surprise? No long winded author's note, just a simple thank you for sticking around and I hope you enjoy this second to last chapter! (Don't worry, theres an epilogue!)

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Ione hated this feeling, hated coming to this office. She twisted her fingers in her lap, and pulled at the band at the bottom of the long sleeved shirt she was wearing. Taren didn't say anything to her, instead she chose to have a smile plastered on her lips that made Ione feel uneasy. What she hated more, was that Taren now came to her school. Once a week she was pulled from class, so she could sit here in this small cramped office and talk to Taren. Well, she didn't do a whole lot of talking these days. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Taren.

"Ione," Taren spoke quietly. Ione tensed at the sound of her voice, but still didn't say anything to the woman in front of her. "Is there something bothering you today?"

Ione scoffed, and she knew Taren heard her. Was there something bothering her? Of course there was something bothering her. She didn't know how to truly explain it, couldn't find the words to describe the thoughts and feelings that tumbled around in her head. It made her uncomfortable to feel Taren's eyes on her; it always did, but it never changed.

"This is a safe space Ione. Just like my office. You are safe here. You can tell me whatever it is that you're feeling, whether it's something happy or sad or something that is making you angry. You can tell me," Taren finished.

"I don't want to," she snapped. A surprised look crossed Taren's features and for a moment Ione felt compelled to apologize. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked at the other woman who simply nodded her head.

"How was school this morning?" Taren tried a different angle this time and Ione forced a breath through her lips to collect her thoughts.

"It was fine," she mumbled through stiff lips. "We had a test, but it was fine. Mom helped me study," she rambled. "It was in language arts. Mom knows about that. Not like math. Math is hard," she finished with an exaggerated breath.

"Well, we all have our strong subjects," Taren commented.

Ione shrugged. She looked down at her lap again. She was missing gym class right now, not that it bothered her. She really didn't like it that much, and they were practicing volleyball. Last week they had to pair up, and no one wanted to be her partner. She was glad when her appointment ran into gym class.  
She turned her eyes to the clock and stared down the ticking second hand as it slowly moved around the face of the clock. She had to see Taren for an hour once a week now that school was back in. She had been sitting here for 20 minutes by her count. She blew out a breath between her lips. But as she sat there in front of Taren, who continued to stare at her with her kind eyes Ione could feel her resolve breaking. She was trying to be tough, trying to be strong but as Taren continued to look at her with what she could only describe as a look of pity, she felt herself losing the facade.

"Ione?" she asked quietly.

She turned her face so she was looking directly at the door to the small space, as if by some magical force that it would open and she could leave. She took slow breaths to try to rein herself in, but once she felt the burden of the thoughts and feelings that were slowly steamrolling through her angry ones, there was little to no holding back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she raised her hands to brush at the tears that were coming to her eyes. "I'm sorry I was so mean," she whimpered as she wiped her fingers on her pants.

"You weren't mean," Taren answered after a few seconds. She leaned over and handed Ione a tissue from the box on the desk. "But the most important thing, is that you knew that's how you were feeling," she smiled softly. "And that, Ione is a very important step. Now," she paused to brush her hands on her own pants.

"What has gotten you so upset?"

Ione shrugged. She couldn't put a pin on it; there wasn't just one thing that made her feel weird. It was a whole bunch of things and all of them were fighting for space in her mind.

"Everything," she whispered softly. 

* * *

Rachel slammed the door to the cab she had taken to the girls school, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She sighed easily when she saw that she wasn't as late as she thought she was going to be. The dismissal bell hadn't even rang yet, and she placed her bag gently on the ground to stretch out her stiff limbs. Her bag was heavy, full to the brim with the laptop her parents had loaned her the money to buy, and the school books that second-career assistance had helped her procure. It had been such a long day, her knee ached from the shoes she was wearing but she tried to push through.

She had started the class at the beginning of the week, and she already felt overwhelmed. At the suggestion of Michelle, she had enrolled in a medical transcription program through a second career program. It was something to focus on aside from the girls; aside from the same day in and day out cycle of appointments and meetings. Something for her. Something for her future.

The dismissal bell rang and Rachel sighed, placing her hand over her eyes so she could see. Kids started to flood down the stairs, happy chatter filling the air as they spread out into the playground. She didn't spot them at first, but she remained rooted to the spot. In the few weeks since school started, this very spot had become their meeting spot. It was far enough from the door to give them their own space, but close enough that it wouldn't cause panic.

"Mommy!" Ayla smiled as she ran for her, her arms laden down with her sweater from earlier, along with her lunch bag.

"Hey silly girl," she laughed a little. She reached her arms out to take something from her for a moment. "Why isn't any of this in your backpack?" she chuckled.

"My sweater is dirty Mommy," Ayla laughed. "Joey dropped it in the mud by accident at recess and Mrs. Thompkins said not to put it in my backpack and she didn't have a grocery bag," she spit out with a huff. "Can we wash it Mommy? It's my favourite."

Rachel laughed a little and held the bright pink and purple sweater up using just her thumbs and pointer fingers. It was filthy, and looked like it had been dirty for much of the day. It also looked like it had been stuffed in the bottom of her cubby, given the way most of it had crusted dry. Ayla looked at her expectantly. She knew it was her favourite sweater, but everything lately had been Ayla's favourite.

"Yeah, we can wash it. I have a few other things to wash too," she smiled.

Ayla giggled a little bit and she could see the small shadow of relief flood over her features. As if she could say no.

"Can I go play Mommy?" she asked as she raised herself onto her tiptoes. She tugged on the edge of Rachel's jacket and grinned. Her cheeks were already wind blown and red.

"For a few minutes, only while we wait for Ione..."

"That could take forever. She's pokey," Ayla sighed dramatically before she flattened her feet and ran for the playground that wasn't too far out from where she stood. Rachel smiled as she watched her run, squealing in happiness when she found one of her friends.

Rachel turned her body so she equally had an eye on Ayla, and another on the door Ione would hopefully be coming out of soon. She sighed deeply as she thought of the reading she had to do, and she wondered just how much homework Ione was going to have tonight.

She checked her watch and sighed when she realized it was getting later. She couldn't leave Ayla at the playground, but she was beginning to get concerned about Ione. Rachel was about to call out to her when the shadow of two people caught her eye. She sighed with relief when she saw Ione walking towards her, her feet shuffling below her as her and Finn walked towards her.

"I hope you don't mind the hold up," Finn smiled as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. Rachel let a small smile creep up her lips as she looked at the two of them. But as quickly as the smile arrived on her features, it disappeared as she looked down at Ione. She wore a frown that wasn't unlike the one she had left the apartment with this morning, or like the one that had been etched on her features for the better part of the last few weeks. It was familiar, yet disappointing. "Ione was having some trouble getting her backpack zipper done up, so I gave her a hand. It does look like it's broken, though..." he sighed a bit.

Rachel let an exhausted huff slip from her lips unintentionally.

"I think it broke from all the books she carries," Finn smiled. She didn't miss how he turned to Ione. "I told you the Hobbit would be too heavy to bring back and forth." She also didn't miss the way Ione looked down at her feet.

"But they were just getting to the Mountain," she whispered softly. Rachel blew a breath between her lips and badly wanted to cross her eyes from exasperation. The book that been a bane of her existence for the last few weeks since she had found it at the thrift store down the road. It didn't help that it was one of Finn's favourite books, and his encouragement to read it seemed to light a fire under Ione that she hadn't been able to reach in a while.

"That's a good part," Finn smiled. "But it could have waited until later, right?" he laughed with ease.

"Yeah," Ione sighed. Rachel noted the way she didn't look to her right away, but instead eyed Finn with intent.

"So I guess we have to go get you a new back pack now," Rachel sighed. She turned to Finn. "Or do you think I could fix it?"

She felt Ione's eyes on them, moving back and forth between the two of them.

"I'm not sure, how are your sewing skills?" Finn smiled softly.

Rachel allowed an uneasy laugh to slip passed her lips. "You don't know me very well yet, anything I've tried to sew has turned out pretty awful..." she sighed as she looked over at Ione. "I guess we should get you a new bag then, huh?" she paused and reached over to push Ione's hair from her eyes. "Do you have a lot of homework?"

"Just a few math sheets, and my art project," she whispered. She pushed the hair Rachel moved behind her ear completely. She had been working on the art project for a few days now, and it wasn't due until the beginning of the following week. Rachel had noticed that Ione had thrown herself into the art project and seemed to enjoy it - something that surprised her.

"I can take you guys," Finn offered. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "I mean - if that'll help?" he implored as he looked at her.

Rachel bit her lip as she tossed his offer around in her mind. It really would cut a lot of time out of the surprise and extra trip they had to make. She looked up at him and couldn't help but let a small smile spread, her annoyance at the situation seemed to dissolve as she looked at him. Finn was staring back at her intently and it simply caused her to feel the warm blush she associated with him to rise to the apples of her cheeks. It had been a few weeks, with many text messages exchanged and even a few dinners like their very first, most during times the girls were preoccupied with friends or Girl Scouts. She still couldn't wrap her head around it, still couldn't fathom how this man in front of her was interested in...well, her. Every time she thought about it, tried to make sense of the confusion of it all her heart started to race and her pulse quickened and she almost felt sick at the thought. She was damaged. She had scars and memories and bad nightmares, still, that riddled her inside and out. But he continued to look at her, like she was something special, like she was worth something and she didn't know how or why because she felt like he didn't even know her that well. She was afraid, after every text message or hug at the end of the night, that he would remember what had happened to her and run. But just like now, something always happened to remind her that at the very basis of everything he was...Finn was a decent man.

"Okay," she smiled. "That would really help me out, actually. We would have to take the subway and that would just..." she stumbled over her words and before she could get too worked up she let out a breath and tried to steady herself. "Thank you. That's very sweet."

"It's my pleasure," he smiled. "Ione, want to go get Ayla?"

Rachel didn't miss the way Ione looked at Finn before she dropped her broken bag to the ground and ran to get her sister at the park. She bent down immediately to pick up the bag, sighing at the state of the zipper.

"I got it," Finn smiled as his larger hand swooped in front of hers and scooped it up by the mouth of the bag, pinching the two sides together so none of Ione's belongings spilled out. "It really is heavy," he smiled.

She didn't know how to respond, so instead she offered him a small smile in return as the girls came running back.

* * *

She hadn't been planning on grabbing dinner while they were at Target - she was trying really hard to plan ahead and balance everything - something Michelle had encouraged her to work on as a way to continue with routine and normalcy for all three of them. She had almost scoffed at the idea at first, but it really had brought some stability to her days and weeks, something she had been without for years. When Finn picked up a frozen pizza, the words 'would you like to come over for dinner' slipped from her lips before she could think about it further. It was the way he interacted with the girls, the way he patiently helped Ione decide which bag to choose, which one would carry her heavy books the best. The way Ione responded to him was also something that caught her attention. While still guarded, Ione was more keen to respond to Finn. Quicker to answer his questions without snapping, without the anger and confusion that had dripped from her words in the past few weeks. It hurt, of course. Because the questions Ione had, she didn't really have the answers to. She didn't know what to say, or how to smooth it over. But she felt a flash of hope in the way that Ione looked at Finn, and even in the way that Finn looked back at her little girl.

He had accepted, and now they were here. She had wanted to make him the lasagna she had bragged about on their first date, but a look at her watch for the time told her that was out of the running. She couldn't make the lasagna from scratch in a blink, and she only hoped that he understood. But she could feed him well.  
They hadn't done this yet, she thought as they drove back to the apartment. It had been a few weeks already since that first date at the restaurant, since the first meeting in the coffee shop. Time had passed by her in a blur, and each moment that she had a second to stop and think about it; think about how much Finn was doing for her both obvious and not, she couldn't help but allow a small smile to play on her lips. He had been true to his words, never once in these past few weeks moving faster than she wanted, letting her lead the way - and even allowing her to pick the last few places to eat and meet up. He was a gentleman, almost of a different breed to her - and it both made her shiver and blush at the same time. She couldn't put her finger on it just yet, but above all else being with Finn in whatever manner they were right now, made her ultimately feel safe. 

* * *

"Smells good in here," Finn smiled as he walked into the kitchen. When they had arrived back at the apartment Ayla had dragged Finn to the girls room to show him something she wasn't aware of. Ione had stayed back in the living room, her math sheets spread over the table in front of her.

"Thanks," she smiled. She turned her back to him for a moment as she turned to slip the baking dish into the oven that had warmed. When she stood up, Finn was standing with his elbows against the counter, looking at her.

"Hi," he whispered. She put the dish cloth down on the counter and stood next to him. She took a deep breath and rested her own elbows on the counter beside his, so she was mimicking his position.

"Hi," she whispered back as a small smile appeared on her lips. "I hope you like home made macaroni and cheese," she said softly. It had been the quickest dish she knew off the top of her head, that she could grab the remaining ingredients for at Target without having to look up the recipe. She had been planning just to reheat last night's pasta and make a salad.

"I haven't had a good mac and cheese in a really long time," he smiled softly. "I usually just boil the noodles from the box," he laughed softly. "I could have just brought the pizza over...I didn't want you to go to any trouble on my account..."

"It's no trouble," she smiled softly. "Consider it a bit of a thank you? For taking us to Target with you?" she blushed. "You really did save me a lot of time," she smiled. She turned her body so she was looking directly at him. She didn't move much more than that, but kept her focus directly on Finn.

"No need to thank me," he whispered.. He stood up straight and gently extended his hands out to hers, palm side out. She smiled gently and hesitantly placed her smaller one on top of his. She tried not to jerk at the feel of his skin, it was something she was working towards getting used to; the feeling of his skin against hers.

He gently stretched out his fingers and tentatively curled them around hers. She slowly blushed as the warmth of his fingers spread through her skin. She glanced down at their joined fingers in an attempt to cool the redness that was flushing her cheeks in that moment, but when she gently fluttered her eyes back up towards his, she found him looking down at her intently, his eyes soft and caring.

"How was your day?" he asked quietly as he tugged her hand a bit before he squeezed her fingers.

She stared at him for a moment, to collect her thoughts and all the more to take him in. This man wanted to know about her day. Brody never asked, not in the later years, maybe not ever that she could remember.

Rachel sucked in a breath a bit and squeezed his fingers tighter. "It was okay. It was busy, actually.." she whispered softly.

"What made it busy?" he whispered, wanting to know more.

"School," she whispered softly. "I know it's only like...my first week but I already feel like this is all too much..." she sighed. She gently untangled her fingers from his and reached up to run them through her hair. She wanted to put her hair back but didn't want to leave him. She felt tethered to the spot in the kitchen, to his stare, to his voice and his words.

"Hey," he whispered as he gently grabbed for her hand again. Instead of holding it, he ran his thumb gently on the inside of her palm. She felt a shuddered breath leave her lips, and the stress she was starting to feel build slipped away as she looked at him. "The first week is always the most daunting. My first week at college was the worst. I threw up for the first week straight. And we'll pretend it wasn't from extreme alcohol consumption," he smiled with a wink as he drew invisible pictures on her palm.

"You were a party boy, weren't you?" she asked softly. She moved her hand to wrap it more against his skin, repeating the position from moments before.

It was Finn's turn now to blush and allow an uncomfortable laugh to slip from his lips.

"I would like to say no, but I did make a promise to myself that I would never lie to you," he smiled softly. A piece of Rachel's hair fell in front of her face and he gently moved it slowly to push it behind her ear. She smiled a little bit, something she was becoming more accustomed to doing for even the smallest of reasons - some of them Finn related. "Is that okay?" he asked softly as he gently touched her ear, trailing his finger back to her cheek.

She kept the smile pasted to her lips, "I think so," she whispered. He gently touched her cheek and Rachel gently closed her eyes at his touch. The feel of his fingers, of his skin was warm to her cheek. He didn't move quickly, and she appreciated his caution. He had promised her he would follow her lead, and she was grateful beyond belief that he had kept to his word. She slowly opened her eyes when she felt his fingers trace down to her chin by way of her jaw line.

"Finn," she whispered. She looked up at him, and she felt her breath hitch when their eyes connected. He offered her so much in just his eyes, and his stare was soft and caring.

"Rachel," he whispered softly. He stared back at her, a small smile on his otherwise large lips. She gently licked her lips subtly as she looked at him, bringing her top teeth to gently bite on her bottom lip for a moment.

His head dipped as Rachel sucked in a breath, and when his lips touched hers Rachel immediately felt a weakness come to her knees. As his lips gently moved over hers, and hers responded in kind, it was like a shift occurred in the air around them.

His hands cupped her cheeks again, as they broke for air and she couldn't help but break out into an even bigger smile once the kiss had come to a natural end. Finn didn't move his hands from her cheeks for a few minutes, and in that moment Rachel wished it would never end.

* * *

Ione stood quietly in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes glued to the scene in front of her for a moment. Her eyes widened as she watched her mother kiss Finn, and she didn't know what to say or do. She stayed rooted in her spot as she contemplated what was happening. She didn't understand what it meant. Why was her mother kissing Finn? She turned away with her math sheet clutched in her hand and slowly walked back to the living room where she had been doing her homework. Ione dropped the piece of paper, intending for it to land squarely on the table but instead it fluttered to the ground. Ione sighed with contempt as she bent to pick it up, just as she heard her mother laugh from the kitchen. She craned her head over the couch as she tried to get a look at what was happening.

* * *

Now that she had kissed him, she felt like she couldn't stop. It was like a switch had flipped in her brain that told her this was okay, this was safe, this was _Finn._ She laughed loudly as he made a face at her when she pulled away from him to get on the macaroni and cheese. She covered her mouth with her hand to try and keep the laugh in while she bent to open the oven door. It felt so good to laugh heartily, laugh with intent and laugh without being afraid of being caught.

"You're pretty when you laugh," he complimented as he walked around her and pulled out a chair from the table behind them. He sat down in the chair and smiled as he watched her check on the pasta dish.

She slammed the oven door closed a little too hard at his words, and she took a moment to wipe her hands before she turned to look at him. The blush from earlier had crept up to her nose.

"You're big on the compliments, aren't you?" she whispered quietly as she looked at him intently. He nodded his response, and before he could say anything else Ayla came squealing into the room.

"Mommy, Finn, look!" she giggled as she held up her reading book. "I'm all finished!"

Rachel pushed herself away from the counter and moved to stand in front of Ayla, who was bouncing on her toes with her book in front of her. She had been trying to read through it for the better part of the week, by herself. Rachel couldn't help but beam as she looked down at the ecstatic look on Ayla's face. She had found the Amelia Bedilia book in the library, and Rachel instantly had flashbacks of her own childhood - getting acquainted with the book when she was Ayla's age.

"Wow, Ayla!" Rachel beamed. "You finished it? That's so great sweetheart!" she smiled.

"Well, that sure deserves a high five, doesn't it?" Finn smiled as he knelt to the ground and held out his hand to her. "Think you can show me some of those great reading skills?" he grinned. Ayla happily nodded quickly a few times as another excited giggle left her lips. "I can read you this one!"

"That would be great," Finn smiled as he stood up and looked at Rachel.

"You can read it to both of us," she smiled confidently. "But it will have to wait until after dinner, is that okay?"

"Is it ready now?" she asked with wide eyes.

"5 minutes," Rachel answered. "Get your sister and go wash up please."

Ayla nodded and scurried out of the room with intent. Rachel didn't turn her gaze from Finn right away, even though she knew the buzzer was going to chime on her stove at any minute.

"Thank you," she whispered softly just as it went off behind her.

"What for?" he asked as he strode over to where she was and reached around to turn off the incessant noise as she moved to open the oven. Rachel placed the dish on the counter and pushed the oven mittens off her hands before she turned to him.

"Just thank you," she smiled gently as the girls came into the kitchen ready for dinner.

He blushed a bit before he sat down in his chosen seat and mouthed a 'you're welcome' as the girls sat down with him.

* * *

He stayed, long after dinner. It hadn't been his intention at first, but when Ione needed help with her art project and Ayla wanted to read to him, the minutes and hours rolled by and before he knew it Ayla was hugging him around the waist as Rachel was ushering her off to get in the tub for a bath before bed. Ione sat at the table in the kitchen desperately colouring a pattern inside an outline on graph paper as he quickly washed the dinner dishes.

He was startled from his wandering thoughts when Ione let out a grunt of frustration and a green pencil crayon came flying passed his body and landed with a clunk against the counter. He put the sponge down in the sink and turned the water off before he reached for the dish towel to dry his hands. He slowly turned around and found Ione cowering in her seat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," she said hurriedly as she pushed her chair back so she could get to the green pencil crayon.

"Ione, Ione it's okay," he whispered. He moved quickly to cross the few steps it took him to get to her. "Why did you throw the pencil?" he asked quietly.

Tears came to her eyes, and she darted them towards her papers that were on the table. Finn's eyes bugged out a bit when he saw the handful of papers that were littering the table top. Some of the pieces were completed already, and upon closer observation looked to him like they had taken Ione a fair amount of time. But the piece that was on top, the shape of a star outlined on the graph paper and a pattern of green, yellow and orange little squares started within the symbol, was unfinished. In fact, when he looked at it he immediately pinpointed what he assumed was the source of the pencil throwing.

"I messed up," she trembled. "I missed the lines and I..." she rubbed her eyes. "It's due on Monday and I still have two more to colour and now I have to start this one over..." her voice trembled as she got to the end of her sentence. She didn't look up at him for a few moments as she sniffled. Finn could feel that she was tensing, trying to pick herself up. He knew it was getting late, it was already after 8pm.

"So here's what we're going to do," he whispered. "You're going to go pick up your pencil crayon that you threw, while I retrace the star, okay? Will that help?" he offered.

The look of relief that spread across her features in that moment was all the answer Finn needed.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his waist with such force that Finn had to take a step back to counter the weight.

"Of course," he smiled softly. When she let him go, she bounced over to the counter where the pencil crayon had landed. Finn had to chuckle a bit as he walked over to the table.

"Hey Ione?" he quietly asked as she started to walk back to the table.

"Yes Finn?" she replied.

"I'm going to need a pair of scissors to cut this star out so I can trace it. Can you grab me some?"

He saw that she stopped suddenly before perking up. "Oh, okay! I have to get them from my bag in the living room. One second!" she took off for the living room in a blink.

* * *

Rachel emerged from the girls room as Ione was rushing back to the kitchen, albeit carefully with her scissors.

"What's going on in here?" she asked quietly. She turned to look at the sink and saw Finn had done the dishes, before turning her attention to the two at the table.

She immediately noticed as Finn started to cut around the edges of the image it looked like Ione had been colouring. "What's going on in here?"

"Oh, hey Rach," Finn smiled as he looked up from what he was doing. "There was a bit of a mishap with the star, so we're starting over, right Ione?"

Ione nodded quickly."Finn is helping me cut it out, and he's going to retrace it for me so I can start over..."

Rachel bit her lip for a moment. "Oh. Um," she cleared her throat. "Okay, thanks Finn..." she whispered. "Just remember bedtime is in an hour Ione," she whispered.

* * *

Rachel rubbed her eyes as she swept the kitchen floor. She had finally sent Ione to bed, half an hour past her usual bedtime. But the art was done. Completely. She paused once more and rubbed her eyes again, a yawn escaped her lips as she thought about how she still had to get some reading done before her class tomorrow. The door to the bathroom opening distracted her from her task and her thoughts for just a moment as Finn quickly appeared in the door way to the kitchen.

"I could have done that," he offered with a yawn. "It was my mess..."

"It's fine," she smiled through another yawn herself. "I'm done anyway."

He smiled softly and gently took the broom from her and walked it over to where he had seen it was kept earlier. He picked up the dust pan and walked it over, before crouching down to pick up the small pile of dirt and cut pieces of paper.

"Thank you," she whispered as he stood up. She reached for the dust pan and gently took it from him, making sure not to spill any of the collected garbage.

He just smiled and lifted his hands to rub his face.

"I don't just mean for picking up the garbage," she whispered as she put the dust pan down on the chair beside her. "I mean for tonight...I haven't seen Ione like that in weeks and I just...thank you," she whispered.

He smiled gently, and she could see easily in his eyes that he was getting just as tired as her.

"I just want to help," he murmured softly. He gently reached for her hand, and gently tugged him to her. "I'm in this Rachel," he sighed into her hair as he hugged her close. She smiled gently as she hugged him to her in return, taking the moment to just revel in how safe he made her feel. She blinked her eyes slowly and just allowed herself to take in the moment, with no other thoughts or worries. Rachel released a shuttered breath when they finally pulled apart.

"I should get going now though," Finn whispered as he pushed her hair behind her ear. He gently let his fingers graze the shell of her ear before he let his arm fall to the side of his body. "I should let you get some work done," He took her hand and gently tugged her to come with him to the front door of the apartment.

"I had a good time tonight, though," she whispered.

He smiled slowly, and she felt her hands sweat. His smile was easily becoming one of her favourite things, that made her feel warm and light and just...safe.

Finn smiled as he looked at her. "Me too," he whispered softly. "I had a really good time..."

"Are you going to kiss her again?" Ione's voice cut through the moment, and for Rachel it was like being dunked with a bucket of ice water. She took a quick step back from Finn and dropped her hands at her sides. She turned herself so she was facing Ione.

"Ione," she started with a whisper.

"It's okay Mom," she smiled softly. She took a few steps towards them and her smile widened. She turned to Finn and looked up at him directly. "You can kiss her again, it's okay," she smiled.


	17. Chapter 16

Well, we've arrived. The end. It's really hard to fathom that this story and journey are finally coming to a close. It's been a long, arduous ride that a few times I've come close to quitting. But every hurdle, every tear was worth it. It took long hours and a lot of blood and sweat. I really have to thank both my mom and Lauren for being the champions on this entire journey - holding my hand virtually the entire time. Without either of them this definitely would not have been finished, as soon - even if soon meant a year and a half. This is the story I'm most proud of, it's my longest work - ever. I'm pretty proud of the entire thing and I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for taking this ride with me. I hope you enjoyed it.

Please bear with me, I will be back with more fics. Just need to decompress a little. As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing!

Anyways, I don't own Finn, Rachel or anyone who appeared on glee originally. I do own Ayla, Ione and the plot. Credits for the title go to Daughtry.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

Rachel's hands trembled as she tried to fasten the earring in her ear. The shake was so intense that she had to press her hands down on the dresser in front of her; the surface offering her a little solace and cooling to her otherwise burning hands. She tried to breathe slowly, tried to keep her heart rate steady but soon the thoughts of what was about to happen in a matter of hours flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes against the thoughts, trying to banish them from her thoughts as she puffed out her cheeks and tried to regain control.

"I got you a glass of water, I thought you might need it..." Finn interrupted, his head poking in the door.

If he had knocked, she had missed it. Her thoughts at the moment were loud and all consuming. She smiled as she opened her eyes slowly, her cheeks pinking when he came into her line of vision. He was dressed all ready, his sleeves pushed up passed his elbows and he looked so relaxed and Rachel was envious of his easy going nature. He had taken a few personal days off from work to be with her and the girls. Her parents were holed up in a hotel not too far away from the apartment but all of their fluttering and general overprotective tendencies got to be a little too much at times. But Finn...Finn kept every bad thought, every uncomfortable idea at bay for her with just one look.

He walked up behind her just then and placed the glass of water down beside her. Rachel stayed silent, taking a moment to take another deep breath before she could lift her head to look at him.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly. Her voice was raspy from holding back all of the emotions the last few days had brought forth.

"Today is going to be just as okay as the others," he whispered as he touched her waist gently. She took a moment to lean back in his embrace, soak in the strength and confidence that just oozed from him, she felt. Finn kissed her cheek softly.

She let out a shuddered breath that came out a little more like a whimper, and she knew in that moment that she wasn't going to be able to keep anything back anymore.

Brody was being sentenced today.

"I promise," he whispered against her skin as she truly started to tremble.

* * *

 _Michelle crossed and uncrossed her legs and adjusted her notepad on the edge of her chair arm. Rachel sat in her chair across from her, and for a small moment mimicked the actions of her therapist in front of her._

 _"How are you doing today Rachel?" Michelle asked softly, keeping the notepad poised on her lap and her pen ready to write._

 _Rachel looked at her intently. "I'm good. Busy, with exams and the girls and...and Finn...but I'm good," she finished with a smile._

 _"How's school going?"_

 _"Good," she smiled. "It's different, you know? From the first time I went to school? I know I'm only taking a few classes at a time, but there is so much that is different from when I took theatre in LA. But it's a good different. And I like it..." she smiled. "But it keeps me busy..."_

 _"Well, in a lot of ways busy can be good..." Michelle smiled._

 _"It is," Rachel smiled. "Just feel like a lot of time has flown by so quickly," she added._

 _"And the girls?" Michelle implored._

 _"Ready for vacation," she smiled. "We're actually going to get our first real live Christmas tree after school today." Michelle opened her mouth to speak, but Rachel cut in. "Brody only allowed us to have fake ones. I've always wanted to share the magic of a real tree with my girls. And Finn is going to help with that tonight. Both of us grew up with real trees in our living rooms," she smiled._

 _"And things are still going well with you and Finn?" Michelle asked softly._

 _A blush came to her cheeks, the warmth that had taken her by surprise those months ago and had subsequently taken her just as long to get used to. It was part of her now, it seemed._

 _"I'm assuming by the look in your eyes and the colour in your cheeks that it's going just fine," Michelle smiled._

 _"It's going well," she bent her head a bit. "He's...he's...he's wonderful," she finished._

 _"I sense a hesitation," Michelle inquired._

 _Rachel shook her head. "No. No hesitation. Just...thinking..." she whispered softly._

 _"Is it a sharing kind of thinking?" Michelle prodded._

 _Rachel took a deep breath._

 _"I got a letter, in the mail yesterday," she started. "It was from the court," Rachel swallowed, even though her throat was starting to feel dry. Michelle remained quiet, and Rachel appreciated the silence in the moment to collect her thoughts. She closed her eyes, reliving the conversation she had had with Finn. "Brody's trial date has been set," she whispered._

 _Michelle nodded at her words, but didn't speak immediately. "That's a good thing, Rachel..."_

 _She blew out a breath. "I know it is. But it's also...it's also scary. Do I go? Do I take the girls? Do I stay away? What am I going to do?"_

 _"You don't have to have all the answers right now," Michelle answered, though vague. "I'm assuming, because I haven't seen the paper or any of the information, that the trial is still a bit away..."_

 _"...it's after Christmas," she whispered. "I only got the letter yesterday and it's all I can think about right now..."_

 _Michelle took a deep breath and sat up. "That's okay. You're allowed to think about it. But I also want you to do yourself a favour. You have a lot of good things going on in your life right now. School, your girls...they are happy, for the most part and healthy. You also have Finn. Those are all things you can focus on. But you also need to allow yourself that time to focus on the trial. Because with that trail will come a closure that I think you will benefit greatly from," Michelle advised with a smile._

* * *

Finn drove them to the courthouse, just like he had done the past two days. The girls hadn't been present for any of the other days in court, where it had been repeated over and over how he had beat her, left her for dead. The first time the pictures that had been taken in the hospital were shown, she had wanted to run. The visual that was presented, that woman on the screen, that broken, beaten, black and blue woman - was her, did something to her psyche and she felt instantly sick to her stomach. But the pain that coursed through her at first glance lessened over time as the photos were shown over and over.

Finn had been her rock the entire trial. He had sat stoically beside her to the left, oddly enough just like he was now. She had clung to his hand for the days they sat there, never moving, never flinching. And it was in those moments she had never appreciated having him in her life more.

* * *

 _Her hands shook as she walked up to the stand, She could feel all eyes on her; the small jury, the judge, the small amount of people in the court room. She didn't know most of the people who sat in the gallery, and once she was up on the stand she tried to focus on the people she did know. Well, the ones she wanted to know._

 _Her lip trembled and she forced her eyes to meet Finn's across the room, trying her best to miss Brody's scowl._

 _"Miss Berry?" Her eyes snapped to the court attendant in front of her._

 _"Yes?" she whispered._

 _"Put your hand on the bible please," he instructed. She followed his request, her fingers shaking so hard she was sure it was visible from across the street._

 _"State your name please."_

 _"Rachel Barbra Berry," she confirmed._

 _"Rachel Barbra Berry, do you swear to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth so help you God?"_

 _"I do," she confirmed softly. "I do..."_

 _"Very well," the Judge commanded. "Counsellor Warren, the witness is yours..."_

 _Rachel swallowed hard when Brody's legal counsel stood. She dropped her eyes for a moment, before raising them and searching for Finn's comforting glance._

* * *

Rachel looked out the window as they drove through the streets, keeping her eyes turned outside towards the fleeting images outside of the glass. She was only brought back to the car when she felt Finn's hand grace her knee just briefly. When she turned to look at him, he didn't say anything at first. Instead, he offered her the same smile that had come to mean comfort and light and support even more in the last few days than it had in months.

"Mom?" She almost jolted when she heard her name. It startled her out of her thoughts and nerves, and she turned back to look at the girls.

"Yes sweetheart?" she replied, facing Ione directly. She noted that she was twisting her fingers in her lap.

Ione shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing," she turned her head to face out the window on her side of the car. Rachel watched her for a moment. She could tell there was something on her mind, something she wanted to share. She just didn't know what. Ione had been withdrawn, reserved even more so the last few days. It had caused the rock of anxiety to anchor itself deeper into Rachel's stomach, causing every feeling to elevate.

"Ione?" she questioned again.

"I'm just nervous," she responded quietly.

"It's okay to be nervous," Rachel whispered in a barely audible tone of voice. "But I promise I'll be right with you the whole time we're there," she whispered. "And what happens when mommy promises you girls something?" She turned so she caught Ayla's eyes as well. Her gaze shouted silently, her own anxiety and worries manifesting in her eyes.

"It comes true," Ayla answered with a quiver to her voice. Rachel nodded with a soft smile before she turned around so she was sitting properly in her seat. She stared straight ahead, her own worries and anxieties coming to the forefront of every thought. Finn touched her leg, the slight movement and feeling brought her attention back to him. He gave her a soft smile and blew her a small kiss before turning his eyes back to the road fully.

* * *

 _Ione wasn't sure where to start. She twisted her fingers in her lap and stared at the desk in front of her._

 _"You can take your time Ione," Taren offered softly. "We have a lot of time today." Taren had cleared her schedule for Ione and Ayla today, knowing what was happening imminently in their lives. Ione continued to look down, at the desk, not saying a word. But after working with the young girl for several months now, Taren could tell she was nervous, wanted to talk. Something was on her mind._

 _"Did you have a nice Christmas break?" Taren asked softly after another several minutes of silence had passed them by._

 _She nodded slowly. "We went tobogganing," she whispered. "Finn took us. I've never been," she whispered. "It was a lot of fun," she added softly._

 _"That does sound like a lot of fun," Taren smiled. "Did your Mom go with you?"_

 _She nodded. "The first few times. But a few times it was just me, Ayla and Finn. Mom stayed home and made us hot cocoa," she smiled._

 _"That was nice of him," Taren commented._

 _"It kind of felt...felt like I was at my friend's house..." she whispered, wistfully._

 _"What do you mean?" Taren asked carefully._

 _Ione looked away. "When I go to my friend's apartment, her mom always makes the meals and her dad...her dad usually plays with us or help us or takes us somewhere," she whispered. "Brody never did any of that. Finn does that..."_

 _Taren took a moment to absorb where Ione had told her._

 _"Ione," she started slowly._

 _"My mom went to appointments sometimes. When Finn took us tobogganing," she started. "Finn wouldn't tell us where she was going. But Mom told us. She was talking to her lawyer. She had to get one because Brody..." she took a deep breath. "She's going to court against Brody."_

 _Taren sucked in a breath. Rachel had called her ahead of time, to let her know what was going on. "He's not going to hurt Mom again, is he?" she asked softly._

 _"No Ione, he won't," she assured strongly. "She's going to court so that never happens again. The judge has to hear her side of what happened..."_

 _Ione nodded. "I never want to see him again Taren," she whispered. "Mom says I might have to go. She was going to ask her lawyer. She's going to see him tomorrow and she'll ask him then."_

 _"Do you want to go?" Taren asked carefully._

 _Ione took a shaky breath. "Not unless Mom says I have to. I never want to see him again Taren," she whispered. "Ever. He hurt Mom, and she's all I have..." she added softly with a sigh. "Well, I guess I have Finn now too..." she added with a hint of hope._

 _Taren offered her a small smile._

* * *

Her lawyer had been the one to suggest that the girls needed to be there for the last day. Rachel had rebuked the idea at first, wanting nothing more than to shield them from the situation. Because of her age, Ayla wouldn't be able to say or do anything during the actual court proceedings. Rachel had fought valiantly for the same privacy and respect to be afforded to Ione. Because she had been on the receiving end of the abuse that had been the catalyst of the situation that had put Rachel in the hospital, her lawyer felt it imperative her voice be heard.

She held tight to Finn's hand when they walked into the courthouse, a position that was second nature at the current stage of their relationship, but brought a new meaning for Rachel as it verified to her that she was not as alone as she had once felt. Ione's grip tightened on her hand as they got closer, and she tugged on Rachel's hand hard as they approached the doors.

"Mom, stop, please..." she begged for a minute. Rachel looked down at Ione instantly, her heart skipping a beat when she looked down at her. "I don't want to go in there..." she whispered.

"What? Ione," she whispered. She let go of Finn's hand and still kept a firm grasp on Ione's. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be over in a blink. The bad parts are already over..."

"I don't want to see him Mom," she whimpered fully as her eyes widened and filled with tears.

"Ione," she whispered again. She bent down so she was more on level with the girl. She pushed her hair behind her ears and touched her chin.

"I can't," she whispered with thickness in her voice. Her lip quivered full. "I'm sorry Mom, I'm sorry. Don't be mad."

"Why would I be mad sweetheart?" she asked calmly as she looked up at Finn. He still held tight to Ayla's small hand in one of his larger ones. Always protecting. Always there. She was never more grateful for him than in this moment, though it may seem so insignificant to anyone outside of their circle.

"Because I'm supposed to say these things," she whispered as she dug into the pocket of her pea coat and held out her piece of paper that had her statement. Her lip quivered as she looked at Rachel.

She took a deep breath as she looked down at Ione. She was about to open her mouth when her lawyer, James appeared from the door.

"Rachel, we're getting ready to start..." he nodded towards the inside of the courtroom.

"Just one minute please," she whispered.

"No more than that," he confirmed with a nod of his head. She nodded back and looked at Ione.

"Ione," she started. She didn't know what to say. She looked up to Finn for a moment, and found him looking back at her with sincerity in his eyes.

"Why don't you go on in Rach?" he smiled softly. "Ione and I will stay out here, decide what our game plan is..." he offered Ione a small smile of comfort as well.

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay," she sighed. She looked down at Ione. "Finn is going to stay with you okay? Come in whenever you want, if you want to..." she assured. Ione nodded as Rachel stood up straight and looked back at Finn. She mouthed a thank you before she took Ayla's hand once more.

Finn waited until the door to the courtroom closed before he took Ione by the hand and led her to the bench a few steps away. Ione followed dutifully and sat down on the bench just as Finn did.

"You okay?" Finn asked quietly after a few minutes passed them by.

Ione shrugged her shoulders, and looked down at the pants she was wearing.

"I know you're scared and that is okay," he said slowly as he looked over at her. To him she had slipped back to the child he met over a year ago over the past few days, retreating into herself more than ever. "Going to court is a big scary thing. But it's almost over. Like your mom said, the bad and really scary things are finished. Mom and I were here when it was finished. Now we just need to finish. And you giving your statement is one of those things that is going to finish it out. But only if you think you can. If you can't, Mom will say her piece and me and you...we can sit out here until it's finished..." he smiled.

"What about Ayla?" she asked quietly.

"Ayla is probably already sitting with your Nana and Papa."

Ione nodded slowly as she looked down at her hands. "I just don't want to see him, Finn..." her words stumbled out with a tremble.

"I know. Well, I don't know how it feels...I just know that you, and your Mom and Ayla are three of the strongest women I have ever met...and only strong girls and women can do what you're about to do. But strong girls and women also know when it's too much..." he finished.

Ione let a slow, easy smile come to her face. "You think me and Mom are strong?" she asked softly.

"The strongest," he whispered. "Right up there with Superwoman," he winked.

"Do you mean Wonder Woman?" she chuckled softly.

"Yes, I meant Wonder Woman," he chuckled as he nudged her gently. "So what do you say Wonder Woman, want to go help your Mom?"

Ione cracked a smile. "Will you come in too?"

Finn nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Brody had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, and the plead had been repeated at the beginning of the trial. Rachel had never wanted to throw up more than when she had heard those words uttered. But on one hand she was thankful, because without that plea there would be no trial. There wouldn't be a chance for her to watch, as the jury found him guilty. Other people now knew what he was capable of, what kind of monster he was, the absolute terror and fright her and her girls lived in for the better part of the last 6 years. She bit her lip as she sat in her seat, watching the clock. Her heart palpitated as she waited to see if Finn and Ione would come back in. She tried to calm herself, focus on other thoughts as the door to the courtroom opened and she felt relief when she saw Finn and Ione. She smiled slightly as she watched them walk in, and Finn escorted Ione to sit with her parents in the row behind her. She reached for his hand immediately when he slid into his seat beside her, and she squeezed his fingers between her own as a quiet thanks. He looked over at her with his own small smile and brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles just as the Bailiff called for them all to stand.

She felt Brody's eyes on her as the Judge entered the room and she tried to draw her eyes away. But she didn't miss the way he smirked at her and felt the shiver of dread go down her spine as they were all ordered to sit.

"He's already guilty babe," Finn whispered softly in to her ear.

She could only offer him a small smile as the Judge began to speak.

* * *

 _Rachel's eyes flittered back and forth as the jury filed back into the small courtroom after only a short time for deliberation. Her and Finn had only gotten to the small coffee house down the street for a small bite to eat with her parents when her phone had chimed with a message from her lawyer. It seemed to happen much quicker than she imagined; in all the movies and tv shows she has seen that involved a court proceeding it seemed to take days where this took under an hour. The reassuring squeeze of Finn's hand and supportive looks of her parents were just enough motivation for her to believe that it was going to be okay._

 _"All rise," the Bailiff called as the Judge returned to the bench. Everyone in the gallery stood to their feet before the Bailiff told them to be seated. The speaker for the jury stayed seated as the Judge began to address them. Rachel squeezed Finn's hand a little tighter as the moments ticked, every bit of resolve and hope struggling to stay afloat._

 _"On the count of aggravated assault, how do you find Brody Weston?" the Judge asked. Rachel forced her head up to look at the woman across the room, the speaker for the Jury and a silence hung in the room for a moment that felt much longer than it was in reality._

 _"Guilty, your Honour," she spoke with a confidence Rachel wished she could bottle._

 _She felt her shoulders slump, like a large weight had been lifted. Guilty. They found him guilty. Tears piqued in her eyes in that moment as relief swept through her, much akin to that of a hurricane._

 _"He's guilty, Rachel," Finn whispered as he turned to her. Her lip trembled as she looked at him before she launched herself at her and wrapped her arms around his neck._

 _Rachel felt her parents touching her shoulders as she embraced Finn in that moment, but she kept her eyes firmly closed as she allowed him to hold her close._

 _"Defendant will be remanded into custody until the sentencing hearing tomorrow," the Judge pounded on his gavel. "Court is dismissed."_

 _Rachel felt herself release the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as she allowed herself to untangle from Finn. "Sentencing," she whispered. He touched her cheek and wiped the tears that had fallen from her eyes briefly with his thumb._

 _"He's going to jail baby," he whispered. "He's never going to hurt you again..."_

 _She nodded before allowing him to wrap his arms around her again._

* * *

"Before we arrive at the sentencing and conclude this case which has been by far, one of the most alarming domestic violence cases in my recent career, the plaintiff would like to deliver two victim impact statements," the Judge decreed.

Rachel felt her hands shake as she turned to look at Ione behind her. "It's okay if you don't want to go up," she murmured as her lawyer stood to address the judge.

"I want to Mommy," she whispered. "He hurt me too," she said bravely as she looked directly at Rachel.

In that moment, Rachel couldn't think of a moment that she had ever been more proud of Ione. She looked at her little girl and suddenly realized that she wasn't quite as little anymore. She was growing up before her eyes and to her, it was almost startling because of how fast she had had to do so. It almost brought tears to her eyes.

"I have to be like Wonder Woman's sidekick," Ione whispered as she looked at Finn. Rachel turned to look at him, her expression telling of bewilderment. Finn smiled with a slightly shrug to his shoulders.

Rachel stood up on shaky legs and immediately stuck her hand in the pocket of her cardigan so she could reach for her pre-written statement. She had crafted it carefully, with her lawyers help. She felt good about the entirety of her statement but as she stood up her fear and nerves started to overcome her. She turned to look at her family, one by one. She started with her parents, who offered her sympathetic and hopeful smiles. She moved to Finn, who gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes - one that she associated with the whole court case. It was his way of being reserved. And then she looked at her babies. Her girls. The reason, above all else she was doing this. Ione sat straight up in her seat, looking straight at her while Ayla looked at her with an uncertain look in her eyes. She sat huddled against her mother and Rachel was thankful for a moment for their support. She never wanted her to look at her like that again. She blew her a kiss before she turned to face the court.

She stared at the jury, not wanting to look too thankful or pleased that they made the right choice. She looked at the judge, wanting him to hear every word she had to say. But finally she looked at Brody. She didn't glance at him long, enough to see the scowl on his face give way to an intimidating grin. She tried to let it roll off her back, not let it bother her too much. He couldn't overpower her now. It was her turn. He didn't have control anymore.

Rachel swallowed hard and unfolded the printed sheet of paper she wrote her statement on. She cleared her throat before she began to speak. "Good morning. My name is Rachel Barbra Berry and I am 29 years old," she whispered with a shake to her words. "And I survived the abuse that Brody Weston inflicted on me for six years - six of the most formative years of my children's lives. In those six years, Brody alienated me from my family, moving my first born who was a toddler at the time, across states to live with him in New York, taking us both from our established lives in California. He isolated me and my children during the subsequent years, taking charge and ownership of our finances, our home and livelihood. I had nothing that was my own. In the first few months of living in New York, I gave birth to our first born child, and the physical abuse under Brody commenced. Brody beat me, pushed me, burned me and broke me down one piece at a time," her voice shook as she looked up from her paper to the Judge. "Brody stole my world from me. He isolated me from everything and anyone. But on the night in question, Brody beat me until I fell unconscious. I was unable to pick up my children from school. I was left with a broken arm and a broken knee. I was bloodied and bruised and incapacitated for a very long period of time. I was hospitalized for a week, and checked into a rehab facility to heal. I am still currently undergoing therapy, both physical and with a councillor at a mental health clinic. I was left with no home, as I did not want to or could fathom returning to the apartment where the event occurred. I received assistance from my parents, who came to my aid after being alerted by the hospital. Until that day, I hadn't seen them in over six years due to his isolation. Along with their support, I was supported by social workers who assisted me in locating safe housing while awaiting this moment," she paused to clear her throat. "Brody stole my life from me. I lived in fear both while I was in the relationship, and still currently have nightmares and dreams of the pain and destruction he inflicted on me and my children's lives. We still live with the pain and repercussions every single day. My children and I are scarred for life. We have had to restart our lives and struggle day to day - I have gone back to school to start another career. I can't physically waitress anymore, as my knee aches after long hours of standing. Our lives have been changed forever, and in many ways not for the best," she whispered. "Thank you."

Her lawyer had cautioned her not to mention her new found relationship with Finn. He had also informed her not to discuss his role in her recovery. The statement was her story, her time to speak about what Brody had done to her and to have an impact on sentencing. She tried to understand at the time, but she fully understood now after the trial was finished. She saw the look in Brody's eyes as she sat back down in her seat and Finn grabbed her hand. He knew. And that was enough.

Ione was escorted by Hiram to stand in the exact space where Rachel had stood. Rachel could see from her vantage point that her hands were shaking, and she wanted badly to reach out and touch her. Another guideline her lawyer had implemented. Don't touch or interact with Ione as she read her statement.

"My name is Ione Elise St. James, and I'm 9 and a half years old," she whispered with a faint shake to her voice. "Brody was supposed to be my new dad, but instead...he wasn't very nice to me," she whispered. Rachel felt tears gather in her eyes and a lump form in her throat. "He hurt my mom, and it made me really mad and scared - especially when she didn't come to pick us up from school. I'm really scared that Brody will hurt my mom again. Every time I have a dream about it, my mom makes me warm milk and lets me sleep in her bed with her," she sighed. "I also have to go visit Miss Taren's office a lot - she lets me talk about things. Like how it felt when Brody left the bruise on my arm. It hurt, and my Mom always told me Dad's weren't supposed to put their hands on their daughters. But Brody did, and that made me feel really sad and scared," Ione looked up and looked back at Rachel. "My Mom is all I have. She's been my only family for a really long time. Brody was never my family. Because families don't hurt each other. They help each other," she whispered. "Thank you," she whispered just like Rachel did. Rachel had to hold back her sob as Ione walked back to her seat with her father.

She knew she wasn't supposed to, but she turned around and grabbed Ione's hand. "I love you sweetheart," she whispered quietly as they audibly heard the judge shuffle a few papers from his stand.

"I love you too Mom," she whispered as she squeezed her hand. She gently pushed her tears off her cheeks.

The Judge slammed his gavel against the block. "Mr. Weston, please stand."

Rachel swallowed hard and turned around in her seat, looking to Finn with widened eyes. He gently tugged her fingers and squeezed them in a reassuring way. They both watched as Brody stood with his lawyer.

"Mr Weston, my hands are tied when it comes to sentencing you. It is my belief that you should be put away indefinitely for the harm which you inflicted on Miss Berry and her children. The danger which you put them in is astounding. But the law has different plans for you it seems. Under New York state law, I am sentencing you to ten years in state prison. You will be remanded into custody at the conclusion of this hearing and ordered to pay $5,000 restitution to Miss Berry to compensate for loss of living and working wages during her recovery. Court is dismissed," he banged his gavel to signal the end of the trial.

Rachel didn't cry. She didn't really say anything the moment the gavel fell, or the ones that followed afterwards. She watched without blinking as Brody was led away with his hands cuffed behind his back. She sat in stunned silence as her lawyer congratulated her on her win, with a promise to be in touch when he figured out the restitution. She didn't move as the courtroom emptied, just a few people - case watchers mostly - and her small family were left as the clock ticked.

It was Finn that first broke through her trance. "Rach?" he offered her a little bit of a smile as he gently shook her shoulder. "Rach, we can go..."  
Rachel turned her head and blinked, taking the moment to register that Finn was talking to her. "Oh. Yeah, let's go then..." she smiled softly. She stood up and brushed her hands on her pants before she grabbed her jacket. She wasn't cold, but she needed something to do with her hands for a moment. Until she looked at the girls.

She moved quickly around the table, around Finn as the girls clamoured around her parents and threw their arms around Rachel.

"It's over guys," she murmured as she held them tightly to her chest. She kissed each of their cheeks a few times as they clung to her. She swallowed as she felt tears running down each of their cheeks. "Brody's gone. It's over."

* * *

Her parents insisted on taking everyone out for lunch. They were flying home tomorrow morning, and Rachel knew what they were doing. They were hovering, much like they did when they were here after _that day_ , and just like they did at Christmas. She understood why, they were worried and concerned and still didn't particularly like that she chose to stay in New York. But she was so wrapped in her own head right now, her own thoughts that it didn't matter to her and it just rolled off.

"Rachel?" Her mother's voice broke through her thoughts this time, bringing her back to the table. Both Ione and Ayla starred back at her from across the table, Finn's arm had settled on the back of her chair and was gently playing with the ends of her hair.

"Yes Mom?" she whispered. She reached forward and took a sip of the glass of wine her mother had insisted she order.

"Welcome back," Shelby smiled. "Daddy asked what you thought you wanted to eat," she paused. "We're going to get spinach dip as a starter for us and the girls want potato skins," she smiled. Rachel nodded. Potato skins fell right into the girls most recent addiction with anything potato. Something they caught from Finn.

She turned her head a bit when she felt Finn tangle his fingers slowly in the ends of her hair, and she took a moment to look at him. His kind eyes drew her in and she leaned over and gently placed her head on his shoulder and slowly released a long, cleansing breath from her lips.

"Some lasagna sounds good," she smiled, picking the first dish she saw on the menu.

"That's what we're getting Mommy," Ayla smiled as she took a sip of her Shirley Temple.

"I should have known," Rachel smiled softly.

* * *

Finn came back to the apartment with her and the girls after lunch was over. She briefly ignored the disappointment she saw etched on her parents face when she didn't ask them to come back with them, but she just couldn't bring herself to be upset. She just wanted a quiet afternoon, soak it all in. She hoped they understood that. She followed them into the apartment and they all shrugged off their coats in an almost perfect unison. She smiled as she watched Ayla lead the charge through the apartment, skipping happily to her bedroom to change out of her clothes. Rachel smiled softly as she watched her. Everything felt lighter now, walking into the apartment, being with her girls, being with Finn. He had promised the girls hot cocoa and a movie when they got back after lunch, and as she turned around she noticed that she was pretty much alone in the small entrance way to her apartment. She heard the cupboards opening, and the shuffling of the movies from under the entertainment unit Finn helped her build. She walked through the apartment slowly and as quietly as she could. She made her way to her bedroom and gently closed the door behind her once she was safely inside. Rachel closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall, and a slow, easy smile came to her face. She was finally free. It had been such a long road, and while the sentencing today put an end to one chapter, one hurdle - the fear of Brody coming back to hurt her, there were still many things she was sure she would have to work on. But right now, she just felt like one of the largest boulders had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Mom, are you coming? I started the movie!" Ione's voice came through the worn wood of the door, her knock reverberating on the less than sturdy frame. "Finn's going to drink all the hot cocoa and you need to put the marshmallows in!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I'll be right out Ione, just going to change first..."

"Don't be long Mom!" she could almost hear her smile through the door and she had to smile too.

"I won't!" she chuckled. She hurried to her dresser and picked out a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeved shirt she felt good in. She happened to glance at herself in the small mirror she had before she left the room. She felt her cheeks warming and a small smile reaching a little higher near her eyes as she looked at her reflection. She had lived past being the woman in those pictures that had been shown in court, had grown stronger and wiser above all else.

When she made her way out to the living room, the smile on her lips got wider as she entered. The girls were giggling as Finn brought them some popcorn he had made. She had missed whatever joke he had told, but just seeing the happiness etched on the girls faces as they were around Finn was enough to let her know that everything was fine while she was gone.

"Popcorn, huh?" she asked softly as she came into the room.

"Finn said you can't have a movie without popcorn! And then he tried to throw it up in the air and almost missed!" she giggled wildly as her eyes shown at Rachel in a way that they hadn't done in a long time.

"Mr. Hudson, did you make a mess?" she chuckled as she turned around in a circle to look around. But there was no popcorn on the ground.

"No Ma'am, my momma raised me better than that," he laughed softly. She laughed softly as she walked towards the couch and plopped down beside Ayla. She blew out a breath with a puff to her cheeks.

"Mommy, you look funny when you do that," Ayla giggled.

"Funny?" she asked with a chuckle. "Is it funny when I do this?" she laughed as she reached over and took a handful of some of the popcorn in the bowl Ayla had.

"Noooo! My popcorn!" she smiled. "You're supposed to share with Finn!" she giggled.

"Well, you're supposed to go get the marshmallows but yeah...the idea was that we would share the popcorn in this bowl..." he laughed.

Rachel playfully rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. "Fine, fine. Marshmallows for the hot cocoa coming up."

The four of them cuddled up on the couch as the movie Ione had chosen played in front of them. Rachel smiled a bit as she leaned her side into Finn and her head came to rest on his shoulder. Ione was on his other side, comfortably leaning into Finn in mostly the same fashion. As Mary Poppins kept the girls attention, the popcorn bowls long abandoned on the small table in front of them, Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel and she took the moment to curl further into him. He instinctively found the ends of her hair, playing with her hair between his fingers; a move that had become a staple that made her feel safe, wanted and comforted. She smiled a bit when she felt him move her closer, and his breath came in contact with her cheek. They tried to be discreet with their displays of affection, despite the girls blessing. It had been Finn's idea, born out of respect for everything they had gone through. But instead of the kiss she was expecting to land against her cheek, his breath met her ear. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered.

Rachel turned her face to look at him just as Mary Poppins was singing about a spoonful of sugar. She didn't know what to say at first, but the look of sincerity, care and warmth she saw in his eyes made her smile a little wider, a crinkle forming in the corners of her eyes that her mom had told her once only showed up when she was truly happy.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Just thank you..."

Finn smiled softly and pressed the expected kiss to her cheek. She smiled when she felt it, and laid her head on his chest as his hand moved to her shoulder and rubbed. She felt more content than she ever had as she laid in his arms, her girls at her side.

Ione popped a few kernels of her popcorn in her mouth as she laughed at the antics on the screen, Ayla's more high pitched squeal joining in. Rachel ran her fingers over Finn's chest as she turned her attention back to the movie. When Ayla insisted the movie be paused because she had to go to the washroom, Finn obliged by standing up to physically pause it when the remote couldn't be found. Ayla laughed as she ran to the washroom, yelling the entire way about not starting it back up without her.

Finn smiled and plopped himself on the couch while they waited. Rachel smiled, she knew Finn was well versed by now on how long Ayla could take in the washroom sometimes. There was a little quiet that surrounded them, and Rachel took the opportunity to get herself and Finn another drink.

"Finn?" Ione asked quietly when it was just the two of them in the room. He looked up from his phone and turned so his eyes were on her.

"Yes?" he smiled as he put it down so his attention was just on her.

She took a deep breath and gently turned so she was sitting crossed legged on the couch. "Thank you," she whispered softly. "I heard Mom say it and I wanted to say it too," she sighed.

"Ione," Finn whispered.

"You're kind of like our Superman, aren't you?" she asked quietly. "If Mom, Ayla and I are like Wonder Woman or Super Girl, that would make you Superman..."

Finn took a deep breath and offered Ione a smile. "That's..." he whispered. "Ione, thank you..."

"No, thank you Superman," she smiled before she leaned over and hugged him.

Rachel stood back between the kitchen and living room as she heard the whole conversation. She smiled briefly, before she cleared her throat and brought the drinks she had grabbed to the table. Ione was still curled against Finn and she didn't want to move them.

"She's right you know," she whispered when she sat down. "You're our Superman," she smiled before she leaned over to kiss him gently.

 **THE END**


	18. Epilogue - I Loved Her First

Hi guys! I hope this post finds you well. We've come to the very, very end of this journey. It's been a long time coming. I actually can't believe it took me this long to write this beast of a novel. But alas, here we are ... the end. I hope this epilogue resolves some things for you and gives you closure on where Finn, Rachel, Ione and Ayla are.

For one final time, I own the plot, Ione and Ayla. I don't, unfortunately own Finn or Rachel or anyone who belonged on glee. I really have to thank both my mom and Lauren for all of their help. This story would not have been completed without either of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you, readers - for all of your kind thoughts and reviews. I know it's been a bumpy ride but I'm sure you'll like this epilogue :).

Until next time,  
Me.

* * *

 **Epilogue - I Loved Her First**

She couldn't sleep. As much as she tossed and turned and rolled around in her bed, Ione couldn't get her brain to shut off, her eyes to close and her thoughts to stop. It was the last time she was going to sleep in this bed as a single woman. It was the last time she wasn't going to be someone's wife. The thought made her heart race with both excitement and sadness. She tried to keep it to herself but she felt like she was going to cry. She finally threw her pillow across the room, tossing it so it landed at the foot of her old closet and she slid out of bed. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, praying the sleepless night wouldn't make the bags under her eyes she already had worse. The whole house was sleeping, the whole place cloaked in darkness and quiet. She decided that maybe warm milk would be the next trick she would try to calm lull herself to sleep. She grabbed an old hoodie from a family vacation she had left behind when she finally packed up and moved out, and pulled it over her body before she carefully made it out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen downstairs.

She stopped short when she arrived, the light coming from under the cabinets caught her unexpectedly. What took her even more by surprise was her dad sitting at the counter with his own glass of warm milk, poured into a World's Best Dad mug with writing that looked distinctly like her own childish penmanship.

"Fancy meeting you here," Ione whispered as she walked into the large kitchen. Her slippers dragged across the laminate flooring as she met him at the prominent island in the room. She came to a stop beside him and dropped her tired body onto the stool.

Finn allowed a tired smile to cross his features as he looked at Ione out of the corner of his eye. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he murmured. "Dreaming about your honeymoon in Maui with Nick?" he whispered as he reached for his cup before he took a sip.

"I can't sleep," she yawned. "Can't even close my eyes long enough to have dreams...of any kind," she sighed herself. When Finn put the mug down, Ione reached in front of him to grab it and took a sip of her own. She smiled at the warmth that steamed from the top of the mug before she took a sip. Her dad had added a little bit of cinnamon, and she smiled at the taste, smacking her lips a bit. "What about you?" she whispered.

Finn shrugged his shoulders. He leaned his forearms on the grey counter-top and dragged his fingers over the small grains that ran through the worn surface. He couldn't articulate what he was feeling. He too, hadn't been able to fall asleep. His mind was going a million miles an hour and he just didn't know how to settle himself down.

"I just couldn't get to sleep either," he whispered. He reached over to take the mug back. "You know your mother, hogging all the blankets because she insists on having the air conditioner blasting at night, along with her fan..." he joked, trying to slice through the heaviness that seemed to suddenly envelope them.

"You married her," Ione smiled softly as she fingered her own engagement ring, twisting the metal around as the stone gently scraped her finger.

Finn smiled. "Of course. 12 years of freezing my butt off when I just want to sleep..." he chuckled. "Are you ready for that?"

Ione nodded. She stole his mug again and took another sip. "I'm ready," she whispered as she swallowed the last sip. She coughed, as a lot of the cinnamon had reached the bottom. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater before she spoke. "Nick let's me have all the blankets," she smiled.

"Good man," Finn complimented. He reached for the mug and peered into it, chuckling sleepily when he noticed it was empty. "Up for another round?" he asked softly as he slowly got off the stool.

Ione couldn't help the chuckle that slipped passed her lips as she stared at her Dad. "Of course," she whispered. She watched him intently as he poured more milk into his mug, added a sprinkle of cinnamon before he reached for another mug for her. "Can we just share your mug?" she requested quietly. "Kind of like old times?"

Finn turned back to look at her, and they locked eyes for a moment before he nodded. "Sure," he whispered. He added some extra milk before he put in the microwave and got it going.

While they both waited for the microwave to beep, Ione rubbed at her eyes and stretched to crack her back. The noise was loud enough for Finn to hear, and he grimaced at the sound.

"That's not good for your back, you know," he commented quietly.

Ione paused. "I know," she whispered. "You tell me that every time you hear me do it." Finn nodded as the microwave sounded. It was a pet peeve of his, something that both Rachel and Ione did that irritated him. He took the warm cup of milk back to the table and set it between them.

"You remember when you made this for me?" he smiled softly. The subject had gotten clouded, and he wanted to bring back the lightheartedness as much as he could at midnight.

Ione nodded, reaching over to finger the ceramic cup. Her fingers traced the shaky penmanship on the cup. She had been 12 or so at the time, though the craftsmanship looked more like a child of single digits. It was the first father's day Ione had ever had someone to give something to, make something for and she had concocted an elaborate plan with Ayla to make it the best father's day ever. Except her Mom had come down with the flu - or so they thought at the time - Axel Christopher arrived six or so months later -, and the plans for dinner and the bigger celebration had been put on hold. But she had managed to make him the mug when her girl scouts went to colour me mine as a year-end trip.

"I was so excited to give this to you," she whispered. "I couldn't sleep the night before Father's Day because I hoped you liked it. I had worked so hard and I didn't want to disappoint you," she added.

Finn smiled and leaned over to kiss her head at his words. "You could never disappoint me. Not then, not now, not ever," he whispered. "I'm so proud of you, you know..."

Ione shivered a bit, and pulled the sweater down to cover her fingers. "I know," she whispered lowly. She directed her eyes to her sweater covered hands. Her dad had always made her feel loved, cherished, supported. He was her built in cheerleader, her biggest fan and sometimes even her biggest critic. But it always came from a place where she knew he was just being exactly what she needed - her dad.

Ione sighed deeply and slumped over so her head was resting on her forearms.

"You can go to bed, you know," he offered. "You don't have to stay down here if..."

"I want to be down here," she whispered softly. She hadn't realized it, but tears were coming to the corners of her eyes.

"Ione," he whispered.

"I'm fine," she sighed as she rubbed her face on her sweater. "Really, I'm just tired..." she shook her head, shaking the feelings from her once and for all. She felt him lean over and once again run his fingers through her hair.

"What's on your mind, kid?" he whispered. She chuckled wetly, both at the old nickname and the indication that he always seemed to know when something was bothering her.

"I'm just going to miss this," she whispered. She chuckled as an afterthought. "Nick's lactose intolerant and lactose free milk does not taste good warm."

Finn crinkled his eyes and chuckled quietly. "Oh sweet girl," he laughed. "You're still going to have a key," he smiled.

"Won't be the same," she whispered.

Finn only nodded in agreement. "The thought is there. The milk will always be there," he tried to soften. "We've had a lot of these, haven't we?" he whispered.

Late night milk chats were kind of their thing. With the busyness of their household, it was often only late at night when either Finn or Rachel could carve out one on one attention - especially with Ione. She didn't mind it, she loved her younger sisters and brother - dearly. But what she craved often was one on one time, and as she grew older she became more of a night owl.

"We've had a lot of important chats," Ione whispered. "Sometimes with Mom, sometimes without..." she whispered. Finn nodded.

"I've loved each one," he offered. "Even the hard ones."

"Even the hard ones," she repeated as she looked down at the counter top. "You've always been there for me Dad," she whispered.

"That's not going to change. Ever," he smiled.

She smiled softly with a small nod. When her eyes closed for a moment, all the previous chats that had taken place in this room floated.

* * *

 _Ione twisted her fingers as she sat on the opposite side of the island as her mom and dad. She didn't meet their eyes at first, because she was trying to run through the events of the day in her mind to figure out what brought them here. She was out of school. She hadn't even left the house really, so she knew she wasn't in trouble for anything - not that she was in trouble often._

 _"Ione," her mom spoke first, clearing her throat. Ione opened her eyes and looked directly at her._

 _"Mom?" she murmured. Rachel looked at Finn instead. "Dad?"_

 _"Ione, we...," Rachel swallowed. Ione got even more nervous._

 _"Mom? What's happening? Is there something wrong with the baby?" her heart started to race in her chest. Her mom was pregnant and Ione had an irrational fear, at 12 years old, that something was going to happen to her._

 _Ione didn't feel better when her mom laughed. "The baby is fine," she smiled. "It's...Ione, remember when we would go see Taren? It's been awhile since you've seen her but..." she cleared her throat. "Remember we asked her to help us find your birth father?" she whispered._

 _Ione felt warm. Her eyes fluttered from her mom to her dad. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going._

 _"Sweet girl, Taren helped me get in contact with an agency who locates family members. And sweetheart, they found him...they found your father," she whispered._

 _Ione slumped. It felt heavier than she thought it would. She looked down at the counter. It was her dad who first reach out to her, and touch her hand. She looked up at him._

 _"Dad," she whispered as she looked directly at Finn. She locked eyes with him, and she felt her lip tremble. The reality of her birth father being found, while the man who had provided for her the last 3 years almost, sat in front of her was too much. Tears fell from her eyes and both of them got off of their stools. Both of them surrounded her, and she leaned her head on the counter as they both rubbed her back as she cried._

 _Finn looked at Rachel with concern in his eyes. Rachel's heart was heavy as she listened to Ione, and she was unsure if she should share the last bit of news._

 _Ione turned her head to look at Rachel. "Then why didn't he come find me? Why didn't he want me?" she whispered._

 _Rachel swallowed a hard breath, eyed Finn for a moment as they both supported her._

 _"Ione," she started. "Your birth father, Jesse St. James, passed away around your second birthday," she whispered._

 _"So he didn't want me at all, and now he's gone..." she whispered. She slammed her fist against the counter._

 _"Hey, hey," Finn whispered. "It's okay. It's okay to be upset..." he offered as he rubbed her back. "But remember that I've always wanted you to be in my life," he murmured as Ione slowly moved so she was in his lap in seconds. He wrapped his arms around Ione and held her tight as Rachel dabbed tears from her eyes._

* * *

"You should get some sleep," Finn sighed, once the mug of milk was finished. He stood to his feet and stretched, his own bones creaking at the movements. "You have a bit of a big day tomorrow."

Ione offered him a small, tired smile.

"It's my wedding day," she commented. Finn shivered at the mention of the occasion. "Don't worry Dad, I'm always going to be your little girl," she smiled as she reached to touch his shoulder. Finn smiled, before pulling her in for a hug.

"Love you Super Girl," he murmured into her ear before he kissed her cheek.

"Love you Superman," she grinned. She pulled away and kissed his cheek before she left the room.

Finn watched her go, and waited until she was safely up the stairs he sat back down on the stool he had abandoned to hug and kiss her goodnight. He slumped against the counter, using his elbows to hold his face up as he dugs his fingers in the corners of his eyes. He was so tired, but if sleep was elusive before it was almost more so now. He had had months to get used to the idea of Ione getting married. He had met Nick more times than he could count. He was as much a part of the family as any other member - he had spent a lot of quality time with him at both Rachel and Ione's insistence. But as much as he liked the guy, it still didn't feel right.

Ione was his first baby girl. He felt like the past 14 years had gone by in a blink. It felt like just yesterday he had met her. Looked into her brown eyes when she was dropped off at his classroom. He felt like it had all gone by before he was ready, felt like there hadn't been enough time with her - there were things he wanted to say, things he wanted to do, teach her. They had shared many special moments over the past 14 years, and as much as he had prepared himself he wasn't sure if he was ready to give her away to another man tomorrow.

He cleaned up, bringing the mug they had used to the sink to hand wash. He was careful to do so, wanting to be as gentle as possible to preserve the innocence of the message. When he was finished, the cup dried and safely tucked away where his younger children couldn't knock it down, he headed upstairs - nearly tripping over the cat who had been an impulsive adoption thanks to Ayla's begging 10 years ago.

"You're going to kill me one day, Mowgli," he sighed at the black cat. The cat stretched and meowed in response. Finn sighed and continued to his bedroom.  
He shucked off his slippers and pulled off the hoodie he had put on to go downstairs. He tossed the sweater on the floor before he slipped into bed. He laid back on the mattress, and he hadn't even gotten comfortable before Rachel rolled over and laid her hand on his chest.

"Did you have a nice chat with Ione?" she whispered sleepily against the crook of his neck.

He turned his body so instead of laying flat on his back, he was able to curl Rachel's body into his embrace. He kissed her head and closed his eyes.

"How did you know that's where I was?" he whispered.

"It's after midnight. I got up to pee and you weren't here, kind of not hard to figure out since I knew she was home for the night," she whispered. Finn opened his eyes to find her looking up at him. He closed his eyes again at the feel of her fingers on his cheek.

Rachel took him in as his eyes closed. She knew he was struggling with the emotions that were tied to Ione getting married; she was having a hard time herself. She was their first baby. But she knew the bonds that each of them had with her would withstand every curve life threw them.

"She's not going to be ours anymore, after tomorrow you know..." he sighed wistfully. She tugged at his chin.

"Hey," she demanded softly. "Look at me."

He opened his eyes slowly.

"She will always be our girl, " Rachel whispered as she craned her neck up to place a kiss on his lips.

* * *

Ione blew out a breath between her lips as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her makeup, if she did say so herself, looked flawless. She had never been able to do it very well herself, despite both her mother and Ayla's best efforts at instruction. Even her Aunt Santana had gotten in on the gig; but none of the information had ever stuck. She puffed out her cheeks as she flattened the palms of her hands down along the material of her dress.

The dress hadn't been her first choice. If she was honest, the dress she was staring at wasn't really what she had in mind at first. But now, standing in front of the mirror with her hair pinned back from her face, she couldn't imagine marrying the love of her life in anything else. It was white, of course, with the thinnest of straps. That was one thing she didn't want to compromise on. She always wanted straps. Her mom had had straps, on the dress she wore to marry her dad. The lace that covered the bodice of the dress was soft to the touch, and for Ione had been both the unexpected detail, and the one that sold her on the dress.  
She felt like a princess in it, the way it clung to her body until the waist, where a simple silver belt circled her waist before the tulle skirt flowed down to her feet which stood barefoot on the floor. She hadn't dawned the silver encrusted sandals yet. She loved to feel the cool of the floor beneath her toes.

She moved from the mirror, and walked over to the window. Ione was marrying Nick Wallace, the love of her life - in just a short hour, maybe an hour and a half. They had chosen the botanical gardens, a place known for lush greenery and beautiful flowers. Her view from the room she had been primped and dressed in over looked the very spot where they would be married, her view high above the ground.

Ione pressed her hands to the little ledge around the window and watched as all the guests - friends and family alike - filed in to take their seats. They had done the

cute, pick a seat, not a side fad. Nick's family was large - where hers was small. Well, small only compared to his large extended family.

"Oh Pretty Girl, let's get you away from the window! We don't want anyone to see you!" Rachel fluttered in.

"Mom," she whined as Rachel floated over to her and tugged her hand. Ione allowed her to pull her more to the center of the room. She tugged a little on her hands to get her to let go.

"There, now there's no risk of Nick seeing you," she winked, a coy smile on her lips.

Ione laughed softly. "Mom."

"What?" Rachel giggled. "Don't you want the first time he sees you to be when you meet eye to eye at the top of the aisle?"

Ione nodded her agreement. "Of course."

"Well then," Rachel smiled and patted her hand softly. "You're quiet..." she pondered out loud.

"And you're like...on hyper speed," Ione chuckled.

Rachel's hands fluttered, adjusted her veil. "Mom, stop. Please." Her hands almost instantly dropped at Ione's request.

"Ione," she whispered. Ione reached out to take her hands. "You look so beautiful, honey," she sighed.

"Thank you," she whispered softly as she squeezed Rachel's hands slightly. Her eyes moved to follow her mother's train of vision for a moment, and when their gazes snapped together Ione paused. "For everything Mom," she added slowly. Ione felt Rachel squeeze her hands just then.

"You don't have to thank me," she murmured, her fingers entwining with Ione's. They had gotten matching manicures yesterday, and Rachel smiled softly at the sight.

Ione smiled gently, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't want to cry..." she whispered."But I do want to thank you, I have to. Because if it wasn't for you Mama, I wouldn't have..." she swallowed. "I wouldn't have this life. If it wasn't for your bravery and your strength..."

Rachel let go of her hands and carefully pulled her close. "I did it all for you sweet girl," she whispered into her ear. "You and your sister and you both made it all...you made it all bearable in the moments where I thought I couldn't do it anymore," she whispered into her ear. "I love you so much Ione," she murmured.

"I love you too Mom," she whispered into her ear. She took a shuddered breath before she pulled away, reaching for some tissues on a small table beside her. She dabbed at her eyes, careful of the eyeliner and makeup. "I got you something," she whispered.

Rachel gasped. "Ione," she tried.

Ione waved her off. "Stop," she whispered. "I wanted to..." she trailed off. "I have something for Dad too, but I'll give it to him after..."

Rachel nodded. She walked over to the small loveseat in the room. Ione took a few steady breaths, before she walked over to the bag she had brought with her and pulled out a small jewelry sized box. She turned around, her dress swaying with the movement and walked over to where Rachel was sitting.

"Here," she whispered a little as she sat down beside her. Rachel moved a bit, to give her a little more space. Her own dress, coral in colour with capped sleeves, was more slimming and didn't boast as wide of a bottom half. "It's just...it's just a little something."

Ione handed the small box to Rachel and waited for her to take it. It was tied with a silver bow, an accent similar to the colour scheme they had used in the reception area. She watched intently as Rachel tugged at the ribbon and let it fall before she opened the box. Inside, Ione had set a silver necklace, that boasted a thin circle. Written on the cardboard, she had written, _'I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be,'_.

"It's beautiful Ione," she whispered as she fingered the small chain and the circle ornament. "It's really...it's really beautiful," she whispered as the tears flowed.

"Mom," she whimpered thickly. "I just wanted you to have something..."

Rachel nodded. With her hands shaking, she turned to Ione and hugged her close. "Thank you," she whispered softly into her ear. "Will you put it on me?" she whispered.

Ione nodded. "You don't want to wear the pretty diamond one Dad..."

Rachel cut her off. "No. I can wear this anytime," she whispered as she reached behind her neck to unclasp the necklace. "I want to wear this one because you gave it to me," she added softly.

Ione nodded and quickly took the necklace out of the box and secured it around Rachel's neck. "Thank you," she repeated. "It's beautiful."

Ione smiled softly before she gently placed her head on Rachel's shoulder. Rachel patted her knee just as they both heard a knock at the door.

"That's probably your Dad," Rachel murmured as she stood. She dabbed at her eyes once more with her tissue, before she tossed it in the small trash bin. "He was keeping an eye on the kids..."

Ione nodded and sat up a little straighter. She smoothed her hands over her dress once more as Rachel opened the door.

"Is it safe to come in?" Finn joked at the door.

"Come on in Daddy," Ione smiled from her perch.

"Daddy?" Finn quirked an eyebrow as he moved into the suite. "You haven't called me Daddy in a really long time Super Girl," he smiled softly. Ione stood from her spot and met him when he was only a few steps from her. "I should say Super Pretty Girl," he whispered. "Look at you..." He held his arms out, and when she was close enough she felt him place his large hands on her shoulders. "You are...you are so beautiful," he whispered softly. "Just like your Mama," he threw a crooked smile over in Rachel's direction. "My beautiful Ione," he sighed.

"Daddy, are you going to cry?" she smirked a little.

He choked on a laugh for a moment. "So what if I am?" he appeased softly. "You're my first baby girl...who I have to give away..."  
Ione saw his lip tremble. "Daddy, don't cry..." she moved so she was embracing him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder, careful not to wipe any of her makeup off on his charcoal gray suit.

Finn took the moment to hold her. He promised himself as he was trying to fall asleep last night that he wouldn't overdue it, wouldn't get carried away with his emotions. He didn't, and still didn't want to upset her on her special day with his emotions.

"You're very special to me Ione, you have to know that..." he paused. Ione raised her head so she was looking closer to his face. She gently reached up and touched his cheek, clean shaven just as she had asked him to be. She did miss the grey stubble he had had last night, though.

"You've always made me feel special, Dad," she answered. She shivered a bit, and turned to see that her Mom had sat back down on the couch they had vacated. "Like I was really..."

"One of my kids? You are one of my kids," he affirmed. "My first baby girl. Remember that. Always," he ordered softly. The tears pooled in his eyes."That's why this is so hard for me. Giving you away. Nick is such a lucky, lucky guy. He is a wonderful man, Ione. He is everything I have ever wanted you to find. But that aside, it's not easy for your old man here to give you away..." he whispered. Finn let her go for a moment, and Ione went to grab for him. She wanted to be close to him at the moment.

"We can hug again in a second," he laughed sadly. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and gently pulled out a box. "I have something for you...well, it's really from your Mother and I. But I got to hold on to it," he whispered. "We just wanted you to have something special to wear today and I know...you wanted to keep it simple with your earrings," he sighed as he looked at the simple gold studs she was wearing. "But Mom and I saw these and I thought...I thought they reminded me of you..." he opened the small box to reveal a pair of small diamond earrings.

"Daddy," she whispered. Her eyes watered as she looked over at Rachel. "Mommy," she sighed.

"They're..."

"Not too much. If anything they're not enough," Finn whispered. "They're exactly what we wanted to get you. Just to add to the," he gestured to her outfit. "I have no words..." he stumbled.

"Thank you," she whispered. She immediately went to take the small studs out of her ears and quickly replaced them, with Rachel's help, with the diamond studs. When she was finished, she brushed her hair behind her ear again. "How do I look?" she asked softly.

"Like a princess," Rachel smiled.

"Gorgeous," Finn murmured.

She blushed, fussed with her hair for a long minute. "Don't," Finn sighed. "You're going to wreck it and I paid too much for the hairstylist today to have her come back," he whined. The three of them laughed sombrely.

"I'm going to go check on the kids," Rachel whispered. "I'll make sure no one has gotten anything on their outfits," she shivered. Ione nodded. She loved her three youngest siblings a whole lot, but she wouldn't be lying if she wasn't concerned about the state of their attire at the moment. Grey and pink weren't great colours for covering stains.

When the door clicked closed, Ione turned to Finn.

"I have something for you too," she whispered softly.

"Ione, you didn't..."

She waved him off as she walked back to the bag where she had pulled Rachel's gift out of. "When have I ever let a special occasion go by without a gift?" she whispered. Finn had to smile. He had drawers of cards and trinkets and shelves of gifts from the last 12 years. All a mixture of homemade, store bought and in later years even commissioned. He had saved them all, just as he had saved every momento he had received from Ayla, Axel, Cecily and Hazel combined. Everything was precious to him.

Ione walked back to him, and handed him a small book sized box. "Here," she whispered. "Just a few things for today. To say thank you, for everything..." her voice trembled then, as the words left her mouth. What was in the box, to her, was not enough. Nothing would ever be enough to thank him for what he had done for her - the life he had given her - the way he had saved her.

"I don't want you to read the card now," she whispered. "That's something for another day. Just...just open the gift," she directed.

"You're just as bossy now at 24 as you were 12," he laughed as he gently peeled back the tape to open the box. When he managed to get it open, he felt his breath hitch. He picked up the handkerchief that laid in the box. It was white in colour, but it was embroidered writing that caught him off guard.

 _To my Superman,  
You were the first man that ever made me feel safe, loved and cherished. The one who taught me I could do anything if I just put my mind to it. I am who I am today because of you. As you give me away today, remember that I will always be your Super Girl.  
Love always,  
Ione Hudson_

"Super Girl," he whispered thickly. He looked up at her.

"Mom and I have a bet going on how much you're going to cry today, so there's a blank one in the bottom of the box," she joked. But she turned serious quickly.

"But I mean every word. I love you Dad," she finished. Finn wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I love you too Super Girl," he whispered.

* * *

He wasn't ready. Finn felt the tears pool in his eyes as the wedding planner got them situated in their hiding spot. The wedding party had already started to walk down the flower petal lined aisle. From their vantage point he had watched six year old Hazel walk down slowly, her march almost painful as she drew the attention of the crowd to herself and dropped every single petal in her basket. They saw Axel and Cecily walk down together, a junior pair of the wedding party that had actually been Nick's idea. The wedding party followed, and by the time Ayla made her way down the aisle as maid of honour, Finn started to feel all his emotions come to a head. Ione tugged his arm.

"It's okay Dad," she whispered. "I'm ready for this because you and Mom taught me that I'm strong, and that this...this is what I want," she added.

"This is what you want, right? There's still time to run...I'm sure we can bribe Hazel," he chuckled, but he in fact was half serious.

Ione laughed, good naturedly. "Daddy, don't be silly..."

He smiled. "I'm just not ready for you not to be a Hudson anymore," he admitted.

Ione blushed as the music went silent, indicating the wedding march was about to start.

"What?" Finn panicked.

"I was thinking of hyphenating my name," she whispered. "I haven't gotten to be a Hudson long enough..." she smiled.

Finn felt goose bumps rise on his arms. "Ione," he breathed as the wedding march started and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. She winked as she took his arm again.

* * *

 **THE END**


End file.
